HOME DEPARTMENT

Departmental Public Expenditure

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) resource and  (b) capital funding for her Department will be in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15; and for each such year what the real terms change will be compared to 2010-11.

Theresa May: holding answer 15 November 2010
	The following table sets out the Home Office's resource and capital funding and the real-terms change compared to 2010-11.
	
		
			   2010-11  2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Resource non ring-fence (£ billion) 9.3 8.9 8.5 8.1 7.8 
			 Resource ring-fence(1) (£ billion) 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 
			 Total resource budget (£ billion) 9.5 9.2 8.8 8.3 (2)8.1 
			 Real terms change compared to 2010-11 (percentage) - -5 -11 -18 23 
			   
			 Capital DEL (£ billion) 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.5 
			 Real terms change compared to 2010-11 (percentage) - -41 -42 -59 -49 
			 (1) The headline resource figures in the spending review announcement excluded a technical accounting element of Department's budgets referred to as the resource ring-fence that mostly covers costs for depreciation. For completeness both the headline resource numbers and resource ring-fence figures have been included in the table. (2) Total resource is higher than the sum of resource non ring-fence and resource ring-fence due to rounding to one decimal point.

Deportation: Offenders

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who have been convicted and imprisoned for offences relating to human trafficking were deported to their country of origin in the last five years.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 November 2010
	Between January 2008 and June 2010, the UK Border Agency have removed or deported approximately 13,350 foreign nationals referred by the Prison Service. Of these less than 1% had a recorded latest primary offence of human trafficking (or similar). This figure is based on internal management information and should therefore be treated as provisional and subject to change. Reliable data on offence types is not available prior to 2008.
	Data on the total number of foreign nationals convicted or imprisoned for offences relating to human trafficking is held by the Ministry of Justice and not the UK Border Agency.

Human Trafficking

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the inter-departmental ministerial group on trafficking will next meet; and what will be discussed at that meeting.

Damian Green: The Government recognise the importance of monitoring the progress of anti-trafficking efforts in the UK and our international obligations.
	A date is being sought for the next meeting of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group in the near future. Discussions at the Group will reflect ongoing developments in trafficking policy.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish her Department's strategy on human trafficking.

Damian Green: We plan to publish the strategy on tackling human trafficking in spring 2011 alongside the strategy on organised crime.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Human Trafficking Centre has a business plan.

Damian Green: The UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) became part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) on 1 April 2010.
	All of SOCA's activities, including on human trafficking, are covered in its annual plan which is published at the start of each financial year.

Illegal Immigrants

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many raids for immigration purposes have been conducted  (a) in total and  (b) between the hours of 3.00 am and 7.00 am in each of the last 24 months.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 November 2010
	The following table shows the total number of enforcement visits to business premises and private addresses conducted by the UK Border Agency in each month from November 2008 to October 2010, the number of those visits conducted between 03.00 hrs and 07.00 hrs, and the percentage of the overall number that the latter represent (the majority of such operations in fact take place between 06.00 hrs and 07.00 hrs). All data are sourced from management information tools and are not quality assured under national statistics protocols. The figures provided do not constitute part of national statistics and should be treated as provisional.
	The timing of each enforcement visit will be dependent upon the type of visit to be conducted. For example, visits to private addresses will not normally be conducted either very late at night or very early in the morning; however, visits to business premises are approached with more flexibility. All visits are subject to prior risk assessment and required to be proportionate to the legitimate aims of the UK Border
	
		
			  Month  (a) All visits  (b) Visits between 03 . 00 and 07 . 00  % 
			 November 2008 1,084 343 32 
			 December 2008 778 213 27 
			 January 2009 1,101 368 33 
			 February 2009 1,020 330 32 
			 March 2009 1,125 296 26 
			 April 2009 668 204 31 
			 May 2009 747 230 31 
			 June 2009 915 263 29 
			 July 2009 947 313 33 
			 August 2009 878 287 33 
			 September 2009 1,057 361 34 
			 October 2009 1,119 459 41 
			 November 2009 1,217 470 39 
			 December 2009 843 313 37 
			 January 2010 1,067 405 38 
			 February 2010 1,172 428 37 
			 March 2010 1,254 514 41 
			 April 2010 892 330 37 
			 May 2010 1,143 455 40 
			 June 2010 1,221 461 38 
			 July 2010 1,210 407 34 
			 August 2010 1,219 438 36 
			 September 2010 1,351 465 34 
			 October 2010 1,266 471 37 
			 Totals 25,294 8,824 35 
			  Notes: 1. All data are sourced from management information tools and are not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. The figures provided do not constitute part of National Statistics and should be treated as provisional. 2. The timing of each enforcement visit will be dependent upon the type of visit to be conducted. For example, visits to private addresses will not normally be conducted either very late at night or very early in the morning; however, visits to business premises are approached with more flexibility. All visits are subject to prior risk assessment and required to be proportionate to the legitimate aims of the UK Border Agency's operations.

Immigration Controls

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  on what dates Ministers in her Department have met representatives from the  (a) CBI,  (b) British Chambers of Commerce and  (c) Federation of Small Businesses to discuss the Government's proposed immigration cap since 11 May 2010;
	(2)  on what dates Ministers in her Department have met the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to discuss the Government's proposed immigration cap.

Theresa May: holding answer 16 November 2010
	I met representatives from the CBI on 21 September 2010 and 10 November 2010, and the Minister for Immigration met a representative of the British Chambers of Commerce on 26 May 2010 to discuss our proposals for limiting non-EU economic migration. My officials have met the CBI, the British Chambers of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss these proposals.
	I have met with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) on several occasions to discuss proposals for limiting non-EU economic migration.
	In addition to this, the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) has met with the Minister for Universities and Science, the right hon. Member for Havant (Mr Willetts) to discuss these proposals on a number of occasions.

Marriage of Convenience

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the incidence of sham marriages being used as an opportunity for entry into the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and what plans she has to reduce that incidence.

Damian Green: It is not possible to estimate the number of sham marriages taking place in the UK for the purpose of attempting to gain the right to live and work in the UK.
	Civil Registrars are legally obligated under s24 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 to report any prospective marriages or civil partnerships they believe may be being contracted for the purposes of circumventing immigration control to the UK Border Agency (UKBA). UKBA holds data on the number of s24 reports of suspicious marriages made by civil registrars but these are allegations and not proof of a sham marriage. S24 reports also do not cover marriages taking place in the Anglican Church in England and Wales, where the clergy are not under the same legal obligation, or those identified by UK Border Agency case workers.
	To the end of September 2010 665 s24 reports have been received in UKBA, this reflects an increase on the total 2009 figure of 561 but this increase reflects the raising of awareness among registrars that our work to tackle the problem has generated rather than a rise in the number of sham marriages.
	We are working closely with both the civil registration authorities and the Anglican Church in England and Wales who are all committed to helping us tackle the problem of sham marriage. We are providing training and awareness sessions and working to develop closer links between register offices and Dioceses at a local level as early detection is key to preventing foreign nationals gaining an immigration advantage from a sham marriage.
	Entering into a sham marriage does not automatically entitle a foreign national to the right to live and work in the UK and all couples must provide comprehensive evidence to UKBA that they are in a genuine and subsisting relationship for any leave to be granted. All couples are subject to the same robust case working processes and we are working to strengthen these further. UK Border Agency has the power to refuse to grant leave if it is suspected that a marriage has taken place solely for immigration purposes and we have the power to revoke leave granted as a result of a sham marriage.

Migration

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of progress since May 2010 towards her objective for reduction of net migration; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government are committed to reducing net migration to the tens of thousands. On 28 June we launched a 12 week consultation with businesses and other interested sectors on our plans for implementing annual limits. At the same time, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to advise the Government on the level at which the first annual limit should be set. We will announce the findings in due course.
	We also introduced interim limits on 19 July to prevent a surge in applications, following the announcement of the limits consultation. This would have led to an increase in net migration, undermining the purpose of the limit. The limit included a very modest reduction in numbers, just 5% below the equivalent period in 2009-10.
	In addition, we are reviewing other routes of non-EU migration (students, settlement, family etc) as action on these too will be needed, and we will be applying transitional measures to new EU accession states.

Police: Accountability

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there will be a requirement on candidates or parties taking part in the proposed elections for police commissioners to register with the Electoral Commission.

Theresa May: holding answer 17 November 2010
	We are in discussions with the Electoral Commission as part of the ongoing development of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections policy.

Police: Administration

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop forms were completed by Kent police in  (a) Dartford constituency and  (b) North Kent police area in each of the last five years.

Nick Herbert: Information on the specific number of forms filled in is not reported to the Home Office, however data on the number of stops and searches and stop and accounts reported to the Home Office by police forces are provided in the table.
	The data reported to the Home Office are not broken down below police force area level, therefore information for Dartford constituency and North Kent police area is not available.
	
		
			  Stops and searches in Kent police force area, 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Number 
			   Stop and account( 1)  Stop and search( 2)  Total 
			 2004-05 - 11,821 11,821 
			 2005-06 12,865 12,565 25,430 
			 2006-07 14,200 14,186 28,386 
			 2007-08 22,703 15,784 38,487 
			 2008-09(3) 20,191 17,777 37,968 
			 (1) Requirements to record stop and account came in on 1 April 2005-06.  (2) Includes stops and searches under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act and section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.  (3) Data for stop and account for 2008-09 are provisional.

UK Border Agency: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2010,  Official Report, column 518, on UK Border Agency: Northern Ireland, how many such staff at each grade were employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and how many such staff were resident in Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: The number of staff at each grade, who were, or are, employed in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years is shown in the following table: these staff are all resident in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  UK Border Agency staff in Northern Ireland 
			  FTE 
			   31 March  each year 
			  Grade  2008  2009  2010 
			 Senior executive officer 2 2 3 
			 Higher executive officer 5 6 12 
			 Executive officer 24 24 30 
			 Administrative officer 13 11 9 
			 Ungraded inward secondment 0 1 1 
			 Total all grades 44 44 55 
			  Note: The figures shown are full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants and are grouped by the generic grade equivalent.

SCOTLAND

Bank Notes

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will assess the merits of bringing forward proposals for a legal requirement for shops and businesses in England to accept Scottish banknotes.

Michael Moore: The right of certain Scottish and Northern Irish banks to issue banknotes to issue was confirmed in part 6 of the Banking Act 2009. I am meeting experts from both the banking and the commercial sectors in order to investigate what practical steps may be taken to increase the recognition of Scottish notes throughout the United Kingdom, including among the makers of automated payment machines. This will stimulate a wider awareness throughout the UK of the designs and status of their notes.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Second Church Estates Commissioner for written answer on a named day were answered substantively before or on the day named for answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 had not received a substantive answer by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to the Church Commissioners of answering a question for written answer on a named day on the day named for answer in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony Baldry: To the best of my knowledge all named day written questions to the Church Commissioners have been answered on or before the named day during 2009-10. There are no named day written questions still awaiting a response. No estimate has been made of the average cost to the Church Commissioners of answering named day written questions.

Departmental Written Questions

Paul Beresford: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many and what proportion of questions tabled to the Second Church Estates Commissioner for ordinary written answer  (a) in Session 2009-10 and  (b) since May 2010 were answered within (i) seven days and (ii) 14 days of tabling; how many such questions tabled between May 2010 and 12 November 2010 remained unanswered by 18 November 2010; and what estimate he has made of the average cost to the Church Commissioners of answering a question for ordinary written answer within seven days of tabling in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tony Baldry: To the best of my knowledge all written questions to the Church Commissioners during 2009-10 have been answered in no more than seven days. No estimate has been made of the average cost to the Church Commissioners of answering written questions. Since taking office as Second Church Estates Commissioner in June 2010 I have received 24 written and oral questions, my predecessor answered 120 written and oral questions for the period January 2009 until June 2010.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biofuels

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has on the emissions of  (a) particulates,  (b) volatile organic compounds and  (c) nitrogen oxide arising from the thermal treatment of biomass in the process of making it suitable for combustion.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold information on the emission of these pollutants from the treatment of biomass in the process of making it suitable for combustion.

Biofuels

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received on the incidence of blue haze arising from thermal treatment of biomass in the process of making it suitable for combustion within the UK.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is not aware of any reports on the incidence of blue haze arising from thermal treatment of biomass in the process of making it suitable for combustion from within the UK.

Conservation Credit Scheme

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Conservation Credit Scheme in respect of fishing for cod and whiting in the North Sea.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has been monitoring the operation of the Conservation Credit Scheme with considerable interest, since its introduction. It has made real progress in terms of joint working between industry, Government, scientists and environmental interests. Officials from DEFRA are invited as observers. For the future, we will want to ensure that the arrangements deliver their conservation goals, while at the same time, continuing to assess how we might further develop this approach in other parts of the UK.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to which organisations her Department has  (a) made grants in 2010-11 and  (b) allocated grants for (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and what the monetary value of each such grant is.

Richard Benyon: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Tables setting out the value of grants paid to date and to which organisations in 2010-11 will be placed in the House of Commons Library by the end of December.
	 (b) (i) The information in regard to allocated grants for 2010-11 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	(ii) Following the spending review, my Department is currently considering budget allocations for 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the monetary value of grants awarded by her Department was in 2009-10; and how much she expects to award in grants in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: Tables setting out the monetary value of grants awarded in 2009-10 will be placed in the House of Commons Library by the end of December.
	The value of grants to be awarded in 2010-11 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Following the spending review, my Department is currently considering budget allocations for 2011-12.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what services provided by her Department and its predecessors were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 and have subsequently become the subject of a contract with another supplier; and what the monetary value was of each such contract in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available in each case.

Richard Benyon: The Department was formed in 2001. To identify information prior to this date would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Department does not keep central or local records of where the provision of goods/services has been subject to a change of supplier. To identify such changes over the period since 1997-98 would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which services of her Department and its predecessors have been the subject of a contract awarded in a tender process in which Post Office Ltd submitted a bid since 1997-98.

Richard Benyon: The Department was formed in 2001. The data requested of all unsuccessful bidders to tender and quotation processes are not held centrally or locally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Dogs: Breeding

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will  (a) promote a public education and awareness campaign concerning genetic health problems in pure-bred dogs and  (b) publish her estimate of the cost to the public purse of dealing with consequential health problems in such dogs; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: We have no current plans to promote a public education and awareness campaign concerning genetic health problems in pure-bred dogs. We will be looking to the recently created and independent Dog Advisory Council to consider how best to promote public awareness of genetic health problems in dogs.
	I am not aware that genetic health problems in dogs generate significant costs to the public purse as most of the costs are met by individual owners.

Fencing: Suffolk

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of fencing contractors in Suffolk are licensed by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

James Paice: This information is not available. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has responsibility for publishing a register of licensed gangmasters. This lists all gangmasters who have applied for and been granted a licence and is open to public view. The GLA does not collect information about the specific activity that a gangmaster may carry out within a particular sector.

Floods: Insurance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she received from the insurance industry on flood risk.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is working closely with the insurance industry on flood risk management. We continue to make progress on the current Statement of Principles between the Government and insurers on flood risk management.
	At the Flood summit in September key representatives from the insurance industry, the National Flood Forum, the Environment Agency and local government agreed on a roadmap towards 2013, when the current Statement of Principles between the Government and insurers on flood risk management expires. It was agreed that flood insurance should remain widely available.
	Three working groups will be now be formed to continue the dialogue on flood insurance and risk reduction and put in place a roadmap to take us beyond 2013.

Inland Waterways

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to ensure that the charitable body which succeeds British Waterways attracts sufficient funding to enable it to maintain and operate its waterways network to a fit-for-purpose standard; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Making British Waterways a charitable company gives users and communities more responsibility for governance of the waterways, and new opportunities for growing income and volunteering, making efficiencies and forming supportive partnerships. The Government will also give the new charity the best start it can afford, with the transfer of the property portfolio and a long-term contract. The move should, therefore, improve the long term financial sustainability of the waterways.

Local Authorities: Freedom of Information

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many separate requests for data from local authorities her Department made in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not record this information centrally, and it would cost a disproportionate amount to collect it from across the Department. The Government are currently reviewing the data requirements placed on local authorities with the aim of reducing them and making them transparent. This will result in a single comprehensive list of all the data that local government is expected to provide to central Government, including that required by DEFRA, from April 2011.

Mackerel

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the effects of climate change on  (a) sea temperature and  (b) the movements of mackerel.

Richard Benyon: The last set of UK climate projections, published in summer 2009, provided a wide range of information on the effects of future climate change on the marine environment, including coastal waters and shelf seas. As well as sea temperature, the projections cover sea level rise, and changes in storm surges, offshore waves, salinity, and shelf currents:
	http://ukclimateprojections.defra.gov.uk/content/view/1969/500/
	The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, in which DEFRA is a partner, contributed to these projections and to the climate change chapter in Charting Progress 2, published in summer 2010
	http://chartingprogress.defra.gov.uk/
	by UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy. The 'Ocean Processes' feeder report for Charting Progress 2 includes a detailed assessment of current observations of changing sea temperatures in UK waters.
	The most recent report card from the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, also published in summer 2010
	http://www.mccip.org.uk/annual-report-card/2010-2011.aspx
	provides the most comprehensive assessment of marine climate change impacts to date. One of the impacts that has been described in this report is the shifting distribution of mackerel. Fisheries scientists at CEFAS and Marine Scotland have stated there is still much uncertainty around whether or not this is a transient phenomenon associated with observed cold seawater temperatures off Norway in the winter of 2009-10, whether this simply reflects a spreading out of the mackerel population to new areas because the mackerel stock is currently large and densely distributed, or whether it reflects a long-term shift in migration routes. The impact and consequences that such changes might have on the effectiveness of fishery closure areas and allocation of quotas between countries in the long-term also remain uncertain.

Mackerel

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to secure a settlement between the UK, Iceland and the Faroe Islands on mackerel quotas.

Richard Benyon: Ministers and officials are working hard to help secure agreement on future management of North Atlantic mackerel. The Government have made strong representations, including to the EU Fisheries Commissioner, as well as to the Icelandic and Faroese Governments, to underline the importance of reaching agreement that safeguards the long term sustainability of both the fish stock and our industry. DEFRA is working closely with industry and with colleagues in devolved Administrations to help find a way forward. Officials have been involved in two rounds of Coastal States talks and will be participating in further talks planned for 25 and 26 November.

Nature Conservation: Birds

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department is taking steps to improve the protection of endangered species of wild birds.

Richard Benyon: All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which implements the EC wild birds directive in Great Britain. This provides a powerful framework for the conservation of wild birds, their eggs, nests and habitats. In addition to this protection, raptor persecution is currently one of the UK's wildlife crime priorities.
	A number of bird species are listed as priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and also under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. This list sets out the species of principal importance in England for the purpose of conserving biodiversity and guides decision-makers such as public bodies. Agri-environment schemes also contribute to the conservation of wild birds by enabling farmers to provide suitable habitat and nesting areas for farmland birds.
	Trade in endangered species of wild birds is controlled by the convention on international trade in endangered species, an international agreement between governments whose aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
	The UK is a signatory to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and has played a key role in its development and implementation. This is one of the key agreements under the convention on migratory species to tackle threats faced by migratory waterbirds. The AEWA covers 255 species of waterbirds that are ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle, with over 100 of these species regularly occurring in the UK.

Renewable Energy: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the abolition of regional development agencies on the disbursement of grants to the anaerobic digestion industry.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will ensure that delivery arrangements for the Rural Development Programme for England continue to be in place following the abolition of the regional development agencies. This will minimise disruption for potential beneficiaries, and will be based on the Department taking a stronger national lead for the remainder of the programme period to 2013. Assistance for small-scale anaerobic digestion projects will continue to be eligible for support under the programme.

United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.

Richard Benyon: The United Kingdom has not signed the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. Since the time for signing has passed, the process now would be for accession rather than ratification.
	The UK has no immediate plans to accede to the Convention.

PRIME MINISTER

Sergei Magnitsky

Denis MacShane: To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with the Government of Russia the death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky during his forthcoming visit to Moscow.

David Cameron: The Government remains very concerned by Mr Magnitsky's case. We are awaiting the conclusion of the official investigation into this case announced by President Medvedev in November 2009. A date for my visit to Moscow has not yet been set.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Tobacco: Smuggling

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with  (a) the Northern Ireland Executive and  (b) the government of the Republic of Ireland on (i) tobacco smuggling and (ii) links between tobacco smuggling and terrorist groups; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: Tobacco smuggling falls under the responsibilities of the devolved Administration in Northern Ireland. Operational responsibility for the detection and seizure of illicit cigarettes and tobacco lies with HMRC and UKBA in partnership with the PSNI who also work in conjunction with An Gardaí Síochána and other agencies on both sides of the border on tackling this issue.
	The Secretary of State meets regularly with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister and with his counterparts in the Republic of Ireland to discuss as necessary matters relating to security in Northern Ireland.

EDUCATION

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when and by what means his Department informed Leicester city council that it was required to make savings of up to 40 per cent. in respect of its Building Schools for the Future Programme funding.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The Department for Education has asked Partnerships for Schools (PfS) to work with local authorities and private sector companies to identify savings in projects which are continuing within the Building Schools for the Future programme. On Thursday 21 October, PfS telephoned a number of local authorities, including the city of Leicester, about the identification of savings. This follows the Secretary of State's announcement of 5 July, in which, referring to ongoing BSF projects, he said that he would
	"continue to look at the scope for savings in all these projects."
	We have not set a target for the level of savings to be realised for Leicester or for any other local authority. There will be different options for each local authority as to how savings could be made. We will work through these options with local areas over coming weeks.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Telford

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether funding for the Building Schools for the Future programme project in Telford and Wrekin has been reduced since July 2010; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the funding profile for that project.

Nick Gibb: No changes have yet been made to the funding for Telford and Wrekin's Building Schools for the Future programme. However, we have asked local authorities and private sector companies to identify savings in projects which are continuing within the Building Schools for the Future programme. This follows the Secretary of State's announcement of 5 July, in which, referring to ongoing BSF projects, he said that he would
	"continue to look at the scope for savings in all these projects."
	Any revisions to funding allocation models will not be finalised until we have worked with the local authorities to agree how their schemes can be taken forward to achieve best value for money.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Advertising

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on advertising the availability of education maintenance allowance between May 2005 and May 2010.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Tamworth with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Lewisham

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people resident in Lewisham, Deptford constituency have received the education maintenance allowance in each year since its inception; what the average value of the allowance was; and what expenditure his Department made on the provision of such allowances to residents of  (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency and  (b) the London borough of Lewisham in each such year.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.

Free Schools: Greater London

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations have expressed an interest in providing a free school in the London borough of Waltham Forest.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold, collect or receive expressions of interest about free schools. To date, three organisations have submitted proposals to establish free schools within the London borough of Waltham Forest.

Free Schools: Road Traffic

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that plans for the establishment of free schools take local road traffic conditions into account.

Nick Gibb: The Department is working with the Department for Communities and Local Government which is currently consulting on changes to the planning system to make it easier for free schools to be set up in buildings with a range of existing uses. The consultation, which closes on 10 December, seeks views on transport and traffic conditions among other issues.

Free Schools: Teachers

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on authorising free schools to employ as  (a) teachers and  (b) head teachers people who do not hold an official teaching qualification or a national professional qualification for headship.

Nick Gibb: Innovation, diversity and flexibility are at the heart of the Free Schools policy. We want the dynamism that characterises the best independent schools to drive up standards in the State sector. In this spirit we will not be setting overly prescriptive requirements in relation to qualifications: instead we will expect business cases to demonstrate how Governing Bodies intend to guarantee the highest quality of teaching and leadership in their schools. Free Schools are legally Academies, and as in Academies generally head teachers are not required to hold the National Professional Qualification for Headship. No school will be allowed to proceed unless its proposals for quality teaching are soundly based. Ensuring each Free School's unique educational vision is translated into the classroom will require talented people with a diverse range of experience.

GCSE

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what proportion of pupils at secondary schools with  (a) fewer than 800,  (b) 800 to 1,000 and  (c) more than 1,000 pupils attained five GCSEs, including English and mathematics at A* to C grades in each year since 2000;
	(2)  what proportion of pupils at  (a) stand alone secondary schools and  (b) secondary departments of all-through schools attained five GCSEs at A* to C grades in each year since 2000;
	(3)  what proportion of pupils at secondary schools with  (a) fewer than 800 pupils,  (b) 800 to 1,000 pupils and  (c) more than 1,000 pupils attained five GCSEs at A* to C grades in each year since 2000.

Nick Gibb: In the tables, figures from 2000-04 have been based on pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year. Figures from 2005-10 have been based on pupils reaching the end of Key Stage 4.
	The percentage of pupils achieving the equivalent of five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   School age ranges( 1)  Number of pupils on roll 
			   Stand-alone secondary schools  All-through schools  0-799  800-1,000  1,001 + 
			 2000 47.7 42.5 43.3 50.5 51.9 
			 2001 48.5 51.1 44.4 49.9 52.7 
			 2002 50.1 52.4 46.0 51.9 53.9 
			 2003 51.7 51.8 47.2 52.8 55.3 
			 2004 52.6 50.6 48.3 53.1 56.1 
			 2005 55.6 62.4 51.4 56.3 59.1 
			 2006 57.9 59.6 52.3 58.9 61.6 
			 2007 60.6 59.6 54.1 61.4 64.4 
			 2008 65.0 61.3 56.9 66.3 68.7 
			 2009 70.7 64.7 60.9 71.5 73.5 
			 2010(2) 76.4 48.2 64.0 77.4 78.8 
		
	
	The percentage of pupils achieving the equivalent of five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and maths GCSEs is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   School age ranges( 1)  Number of pupils on roll 
			   Stand-alone secondary schools  All-through schools  0-799  800-1,000  1,001 + 
			 2000 38.0 40.2 35.4 41.6 41.7 
			 2001 38.7 48.3 36.6 40.8 42.6 
			 2002 40.1 49.8 38.0 42.7 43.6 
			 2003 40.0 48.9 37.8 41.9 43.5 
			 2004 40.9 47.3 38.8 42.3 44.3 
			 2005 43.1 56.3 40.1 44.4 46.6 
			 2006 44.5 51.6 39.7 45.5 48.0 
			 2007 46.2 44.9 39.0 45.7 49.6 
			 2008 48.6 38.3 38.7 46.9 51.8 
			 2009 51.2 45.8 40.4 49.5 54.1 
			 2010(2) 55.6 29.4 42.4 53.1 57.8 
			 (1) Both all-through and stand-alone schools must have an upper age limit of 16-18. The lower limit of all-through schools must be 3-5 while that for stand-alone schools must be 11. (2) The provisional figures for 2010 include accredited International GCSEs (iGCSE). In order to better capture the attainment of pupils in the Independent sector, iGCSEs that were not accredited at the beginning of the period of study but have since been accredited have been counted.  Source: The Secondary School and College Performance Tables

GCSE: Standards

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools performed below the National Challenge threshold for English and mathematics GCSE results in 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 October 2010
	This information will be published in the secondary school performance tables in January 2011.

Pockets of Deprivation: Finance

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding each local authority received through the Pockets of Deprivation element of the Dedicated Schools Grant in each year since 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 4 November 2010
	£40.91 million was included in the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for each year of the spending period of 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 for pockets of deprivation. The notional allocations for the local authorities who qualified for this funding can be found on the summary sheet of the final DSG allocations for 2008-09 which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance

Schools: Buildings

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate his Department made of the number of modular buildings which were used as classrooms in  (a) 1980 and  (b) 1997;
	(2)  what estimate he made of the number of classrooms which were in use in  (a) 1980 and  (b) 1997.

Nick Gibb: No estimates have been made by the Department of the number of classrooms or the number of modular buildings used as classrooms in 1980 and 1997.

Schools: Discipline

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure discipline in the classroom and promote good behaviour; and what timetable he has set for the implementation of such a policy.

Nick Gibb: It is this Government's intention to give heads and teachers the powers they need to ensure discipline in the classroom and promote good behaviour. In a statement to the House on 7 July I announced that we will take steps to strengthen teachers' powers to search pupils; clarify their powers to use force; and remove the requirement to give 24-hours written notice when giving pupils detentions. We will also give teachers the strongest possible protection from false accusations. I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 7 July 2010,  Official Report, column 11WS. The full text of my statement can be viewed online at:
	www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm100707/wmstext/100707m0001.htm
	We will announce further proposals later this year and take forward any necessary primary legislation at the earliest opportunity.

Schools: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have been supported by Creative Partnership funding in each of the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Creative Partnership programme is run by Creativity Culture and Education (CCE) with funding from Arts Council England. CCE have provided data on the number of primary and secondary schools which have completed Creative Partnership projects in academic years 2008/09 and 2009/10 and the number currently working with Creative Partnerships for 2010/11, which is set out in the table:
	
		
			  Academic year  Primary schools  Secondary schools 
			 2008/09 1,361 500 
			 2009/10 1,415 488 
			 2010/11 (to date) 1,368 450

Schools: Secondary Education

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the average contextual value added score has been for  (a) stand alone secondary schools and  (b) secondary departments in all-through schools in each year since 2000;
	(2)  what the contextual value added score is for secondary schools with  (a) fewer than 800 pupils,  (b) 800 to 1,000 pupils and  (c) more than 1,000 pupils in each year since 2000.

Nick Gibb: Contextual value added was introduced into the Achievement and Attainment Tables in 2006 to replace the value added model. The following tables show the average contextual value added score for the years 2006 to 2009 for maintained mainstream schools. The number of schools used in the calculation is given in brackets.
	
		
			   School age ranges( 1) 
			   Stand alone secondary schools  All through schools (secondary department) 
			   CVA score  Number  Lower 95% confidence limit  Upper 95% confidence limit  CVA score  Number  Lower 95% confidence limit  Upper 95% confidence limit 
			 2006 1000.0 (2,884) 999.8 1000.1 999.9 (4) 993.7 1006.0 
			 2007 1000.7 (2,816) 1000.5 1000.9 996.4 (4) 990.3 1002.5 
			 2008 1000.9 (2,865) 1000.7 1001.1 1000.1 (7) 995.8 1004.4 
			 2009 1001.1 (2,847) 1000.9 1001.3 997. (14) 994.1 1000.8 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of pupils on roll: 
			   1-799  800-1,000 
			   CVA score  Number  Lower 95% confidence limit  Upper 95% confidence limit  CVA score  Number  Lower 95% confidence limit  Upper 95% confidence limit 
			 2006 1000.2 (802) 999.8 1000.6 999.4 (728) 999.0 999.7 
			 2007 1001.6 (789) 1001.2 1002.0 1000.2 (704) 999.9 1000.6 
			 2008 1001.1 (860) 1000.7 1001.4 1001.0 (718) 1000.7 1001.3 
			 2009 1001.7 (865) 1001.3 1002.1 1001.2 (714) 1000.8 1001.6 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of pupils on role: 
			   1,001 or more 
			   CVA score  Number  Lower 95% confidence limit  Upper 95% confidence limit 
			 2006 1000.6 (1,576) 1000.4 1000.8 
			 2007 1000.8 (1,552) 1000.6 1001.0 
			 2008 1001.0 (1,515) 1000.8 1001.2 
			 2009 1001.0 (1,505) 1000.7 1001.2 
			 (1) Both all-through and stand-alone schools must have an upper age limit of 16-18. The lower age limit of all-through schools must be 3-5 while that for stand-alone schools must be 11.  Note: For contextual value Added scores it is standard practice to give the upper and lower confidence limits. If 1000 lies within the range of the confidence limits, the CVA score is not showing significantly positive or negative value added.  Source: The Secondary School Achievement and Attainment Tables

Schools: Standards

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to provide support for underperforming schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 28 October 2010
	The forthcoming Schools White Paper will set out the detail of our approach to reducing underperformance in our school system. We believe that the way to secure sustainable improvement is to give responsibility to schools and for schools to learn from other schools. Our aim will be to challenge and support schools in a robust and clear manner. Central to our approach, especially in tackling the most significant areas of underperformance, will be our Academies programme, and schools working together to share best practice.
	We have also allocated £110 million to establish an education endowment fund (EEF) designed to raise standards in underperforming schools. The EEF will distribute money to local authorities, academy sponsors, charities and other groups that bring forward innovative proposals to improve performance in our most challenging schools.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Concessions

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for mutual recognition of concessionary bus passes across the UK; and whether he has had discussions with the devolved administrations on this matter.

Norman Baker: There are no immediate plans to introduce mutual recognition of concessionary bus passes across the UK. Concessionary travel is a devolved policy area so the arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ from those in England. The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 contains a power to allow, through future regulations, for mutual recognition of bus passes across the UK. Regular discussions take place at official level with the devolved Administrations. Various technical and resource issues would need to be resolved before mutual recognition could be pursued.

Bus Services: Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to  (a) undertake and  (b) publish an equality impact assessment in relation to the change in the level of funding for the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Norman Baker: An equality impact assessment in relation to the change in the level of funding for the Bus Service Operators Grant has been undertaken and will be published on the Department's website by the end of November.

Bus Services: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 702W, on bus services: finance, what the key assumptions are in respect of  (a) fares and  (b) the effect on the level of service of the reduction in Bus Service Operators Grants.

Norman Baker: We have used analysis published in recent impact assessments on the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) which suggests that removing BSOG in its entirety would have, on average, increased fares by around 7% and reduced service levels by around 7% outside London. After considering this analysis, the Government decided to limit reduction in BSOG to 20%.
	To help estimate sub-national impacts we have used the Department's new National Bus Model. The key assumptions used in the model are in the main taken from the Transport Research Laboratory report 'The demand for public transport: a practical guide'. They include assumptions of how demand for bus travel changes in response to changes in bus fares, service levels, GDP and car ownership.

Crayford Station

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has received a new application for funding from Southeastern Railway to provide step-free access at Crayford Station.

Norman Baker: We have been unable to commission any bids for Access for All Small Schemes funding while the comprehensive spending review was ongoing, although we hope to have further funding available for access improvements in due course.
	However, in response to a letter from me the managing director of Southeastern Railways has indicated his intension to install a lockable side gate and Oyster validator on Platform 2 which will allow Bexley council to upgrade the footpath linking the station to the roadway to provide step free access.

Cycling England: Cost-effectiveness

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has undertaken a cost-benefit assessment of Cycling England's programmes.

Norman Baker: Cycling England was established in 2005 with a remit to "Get More People Cycling, More Safely, More Often". Over the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 Department for Transport (DfT) invested around £140 million in programmes to deliver this objective. Cycling England's role was to advise on how best to spend these funds and to oversee the delivery of the projects.
	Analysis of results of the first three years of funding, of which DfT contributed £7.5 million, for the initial six Cycling Demonstration Towns has provided a benefit cost ratio in the range 2.6 to 3.5, and a 27% increase in cycle trips as shown by automatic cycle counters.
	Current programmes continue to the end of March 2011 are yet to be evaluated.

Freight: Grants

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the Freight Facilities Grant.

Michael Penning: The Freight Facilities Grant scheme remains suspended while the Department reviews its capital programme budgets following the settlement agreed in the comprehensive spending review. Further details on the future of the scheme will be made public shortly.

High Speed Rail Network

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to make capacity on the proposed high speed rail network available to rail freight.

Philip Hammond: None. HS2 is proposed as a dedicated high speed passenger line. However, capacity released on existing lines could be used for additional freight and other services.

London and South Eastern Railway: Fares

Mark Reckless: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the application of a cap on fare rises on train services provided by Southeastern under its franchise agreement which enable a different rate of fare rises to that applied by other franchisees; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 19 November 2010
	The Southeastern Franchise Agreement agreed by the last Government specified that from 2007-11, regulated fares on the network would be capped at RPI +3%. There are no plans to alter this requirement during 2011.
	Next year will be the final one in which Southeastern has a different fares regime to most other parts of the network. From 2012, RPI+3 will become the standard formula for prices regulated by the Department for Transport, including Southeastern.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used to determine the imposition of a 50 miles per hour speed limit on motorways.

Michael Penning: Current motorway standards do not necessitate permanent 50 mph speed limits. Some older motorways designed in the 1960s, and some motorways in urban areas, which do not meet the current visibility requirements or which have sub-standard geometric features, have had lower speed limits introduced appropriate to the visibility and geometry to improve safety. The principle criterion used to determine the speed limit is forward visibility.
	National advice on setting temporary speed limits for road works is given in Traffic Signs Manual, chapter 8, section D3.7. This identifies appropriate speed limits based on the relative risk to road users posed by the barriers, cones etc which are used to provide protection to road workers. This risk is normally the same whether road workers are present or not and speed limits therefore need to be in place even when workers are not on-site. The Highways Agency produced additional advice in July 2007 (Chief Highways Engineer Memo 203/07) on how to apply temporary speed limits at road works using the risk based approach in chapter 8. This advice applies to the motorway network in England; the application of this advice on other motorways is the responsibility of the relevant highway authority.

Preston-Colne Railway Line

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the level of usage of the Preston-Colne rail line.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State has not made a recent assessment of the passenger usage of the Preston to Colne line. It is for each train operator to undertake passenger counts on the routes it operates so train capacity can be best matched to passenger demand.

Railways: Complaints

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints he received on the way in which  (a) East Coast Mainline,  (b) Grand Central,  (c) Northern Rail, and  (d) Transpennine Express communicate with their customers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Theresa Villiers: For the most recent quarterly period the Department for Transport has received six complaints concerning East Coast Mainline, nil for Grand Central, five for Northern Rail and one for Transpennine Express, about the way in which the operators commutate with their customers.

Railways: Freight

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on effective criteria for assessing the environmental effects of transporting goods.

Michael Penning: None. However, I have announced my intention to support freight industry led measures to reduce the environmental effects of transporting goods. The Department for Transport is working with industry to identify the most effective measures. The work includes an evaluation of environmental benefits.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department's review of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation will include consideration of the use of biomethane as a fuel for transport.

Norman Baker: Biomethane is already eligible to receive certificates under the renewable transport fuel obligation, which sets annual targets for biofuel use in the UK. Currently biomethane counts for 0.03% of UK renewable transport fuels.
	The renewable energy directive (RED) requires the UK to source 10% of transport energy from renewable sources by 2020. We will be consulting on measures to implement the RED shortly. Fuels made from wastes and residues, including biomethane, will count twice towards the RED 10% target.

Roads: Accidents

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential combined effect of reductions in the level of the road safety grant and of the ending of funding from his Department for speed cameras on the level of road traffic  (a) accidents and  (b) deaths.

Michael Penning: No such assessment has been made.
	The Government continue to provide substantial funding for local authorities. The Government are clear that local government needs increased flexibility to take decisions locally to deliver the solutions that suit them best. Through lifting restrictions on how local government spends its money by removing ring-fences, local authorities are now free to determine their priorities and to make decisions about where savings are found. I would expect that road safety will remain a priority for them. Fixed camera operation remains an option for local authorities who remain free to invest in new cameras using their own resources.

Transport: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding he has allocated to each scheme in the supported group of local transport schemes; and  (a) how much in total has been allocated to this group and  (b) was formerly allocated through regional funding allocations.

Norman Baker: We have not allocated a specific sum of money to individual schemes in the supported pool nor to the pool in total. The total of the most recently requested or approved Department for Transport capital contribution for all the schemes in the supported pool, as identified in the previous regional funding allocations, is around £408 million. We estimate that no more than £325 million of this would fall in the spending review period. We have invited the promoting local authorities to explore how costs may be reduced and additional funding contributions sought before making a best and final funding bid to the Department. Decisions on the funding for individual schemes will be made in January 2011.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment Schemes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people participating in the work programme will have access to skills training.

Chris Grayling: The Work Programme is being designed as a 'black box' programme: we are not specifying what support providers should offer, but we will expect them to find the most effective means of getting each individual referred back to work. This support may include the provision of skills training.
	Where it can be demonstrated that a customer has a skills need that is preventing them from getting work, they will also have access to skills provision offered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Employment Schemes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what integrated back-to-work support will be provided to jobseekers under the work programme.

Chris Grayling: The Work Programme will be a 'black box' programme: providers will be free to design support according to the needs of the individuals referred to them and to local circumstances. We believe this will be more effective than a 'one-size-fits-all' programme prescribed by central Government.

Employment Schemes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how mentors for the work programme will be recruited.

Chris Grayling: The Work Programme will be a 'black box' programme: providers will be free to design support based on the needs of individuals and target the right support at the right time.
	As such, it will be up to providers, working with local partners, to decide whether they wish to use mentor services to help support people into work, and it will be up to them how they are recruited.
	However, a key element of the New Enterprise Allowance will be to provide customers with access to voluntary business mentors who will provide guidance and support as they develop their business idea through to the early stages of trading.
	Delivery options have yet to be finalised and agreed, but we envisage a role for Jobcentre Plus working alongside the voluntary and enterprise sectors to create new partnerships to build a network of mentors and ensure unemployed people can get the business support they need.

Employment Schemes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 11 November 2010,  Official Report, column 444, on welfare reform, whether  (a) single regional contracts will be issued for the proposed work programme or  (b) the proposed work programme in each area will involve both private and voluntary sector organisations.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Department will ensure there are at least two providers delivering Work Programme services across each contract package area. This will ensure there is ongoing competition between providers to drive up performance. Each regional 'lot' will contain up to two contract-package-areas.
	 (b) For the Work Programme to be successful we expect that prime providers will need to work with a broad range of sub-contractors and local partners in order to deliver the personalised and localised services required in today's labour market. We would expect, though do not intend to require, that each provider will have a range of sub-contractors including organisations from the private and voluntary sector.
	We are actively encouraging local partners to work with potential Work Programme providers in their areas in the development of bids that are responsive to local circumstances. The Framework specification places clear expectations on suppliers to engage with partners in developing and delivering proposals, and the Work Programme specification will further endorse the requirement for partnership engagement in the development of proposals and delivery of the programme.
	We have also taken active steps to encourage the involvement of voluntary sector organisations in the delivery of the Work Programme, including events in London, Bristol, Port Talbot and Glasgow for voluntary sector organisations to hear about the programme and how they can get involved; an event hosted by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion, supported by the Department, which provided potential sub-contractors, particularly those from the voluntary sector or smaller organisations, with information on what being a sub-contractor would mean for them; and a round table event with key voluntary sector groups to ensure that they are fully informed on plans for the Work Programme.

Employment Schemes

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his oral statement of 11 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 438-40, on welfare reform, which existing programmes will be included in the work programme.

Chris Grayling: The Work Programme will support a wide range of customers-from jobseeker's allowance recipients who have been out of work for some time, to customers who may previously have been receiving incapacity benefits for many years.
	Most current provision, including all legacy New Deal programmes, the Flexible New Deal and Pathways to Work will be replaced by the Work Programme by summer 2011.

Local Enterprise Partnership

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects a local enterprise partnership for Newcastle, Tyneside and Northumberland to be established.

Bob Neill: I have been asked to reply.
	On 28 October, the Government published their Local Growth White Paper, which set out their approach to achieving local economic growth by shifting power to local levels and helping to create the right conditions for growth and recovery. This included announcing the first local enterprise partnerships which would proceed.
	Government will work with, the relevant local authority and business partners in Newcastle Tyneside and Northumberland and other parts of the country where no local enterprise partnership has been announced, in order to ensure future proposals allow all areas to progress, and I have asked my officials to engage directly with local partners. Government will welcome revised proposals from these places as they become ready.

Lone Parents: Personal Income

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single income families with a household income between £43,875 and £50,000 reside in Wales.

David Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available as HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data at such levels of detail.

Pension Funds: Trusts

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the level of understanding among pension fund trustees of their fiduciary duty to take into account environmental, social and governance issues where they are financially material;
	(2)  whether he has had discussions with the Pensions Regulator on the adequacy of guidance and training for pension fund trustees in respect of their fiduciary duty to take into account environmental, social and governance issues where they are financially relevant.

Steve Webb: Trustees do not have a specific fiduciary duty to consider environmental, social and governance issues, but they are required by law to ensure that their scheme has a statement of investment principles to disclose its investment policies. This must include a declaration of the extent (if at all) to which social, environmental, or ethical considerations are taken into account in the selection, retention, and realisation of investments.
	It is therefore for trustees to decide how best to address social, environmental and ethical considerations while meeting their fiduciary duty to serve members' best interests.
	The Pensions Regulator promotes trustee knowledge and understanding of the requirements and responsibilities of trustees through its trustee toolkit.
	Ministers and officials regularly meet the Pensions Regulator to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the regulator and its responsibilities.

Social Security Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the growth rate of social security spending on benefits and pensions, excluding tax credits in real terms in each year from 1980-81 to 2009-10.

Steve Webb: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Annual real growth in social security spending 
			   Percentage 
			 1980-81 2 
			 1981-82 12 
			 1982-83 7 
			 1983-84 7 
			 1984-85 3 
			 1985-86 3 
			 1986-87 4 
			 1987-88 -2 
			 1988-89 -5 
			 1989-90 -1 
			 1990-91 4 
			 1991-92 11 
			 1992-93 10 
			 1993-94 7 
			 1994-95 1 
			 1995-96 2 
			 1996-97 0 
			 1997-98 -1 
			 1998-99 0 
			 1999-2000 2 
			 2000-01 1 
			 2001-02 3 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 -7 
			 2004-05 2 
			 2005-06 2 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 3 
			 2008-09 5 
			 2009-10 7 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage of the figures is not necessarily consistent over the entire period, because of transfers of responsibility between departments. The main transfers of responsibility affecting the figures shown here are: Child benefit, expenditure has been included until 2002-03; responsibility for it transferred to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in April 2003. War pensions expenditure has been included until 2001-02; responsibility transferred to the Veteran's Agency in 2002-03. Family credit has been included until 1999-2000; it was replaced by working families tax credit in October 1999. Disability working allowance has been included until 1999-2000; it was replaced by disabled person's tax credit in October 1999. A number of changes to funding for residential care and nursing homes in income support, and payments for care and support through housing benefit, occurred in 2002 and 2003. 2. Figures include all spending on housing benefit and council tax benefit, and their predecessors, regardless of the source of funding. 3. Figures exclude tax credits, benefits delivered by other Departments (except for housing benefit, council tax benefit and predecessors) and almost all benefit spending in Northern Ireland.  Source: Calculated from DWP Benefit Expenditure Tables

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability-related benefits do not receive disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	The table shows the number of people claiming each disability benefit who are not in receipt of disability living allowance as of February 2010.
	
		
			   All disability benefits  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance  Attendance allowance  Employment and support allowance 
			 Number of people claiming each disability benefit who are not in receipt of disability living allowance 3,067,060 917,900 1,772,430 378,800 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied 2. Totals will not sum due to overlaps between the benefits  3. Employment and support allowance (ESA). ESA replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008 4. Caseload totals show the number of people with an underlying entitlement to an allowance, so for attendance allowance it includes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital; for incapacity benefit it includes credits only cases  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 
		
	
	Disability living allowance is awarded to customers aged under 65 with mobility and/or care needs as a result of a disability or health condition, and is intended to cover some of the costs of these mobility or care needs. It is not an income-replacement benefit like employment and support allowance, and can be paid to customers who are in employment.
	Incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance are income-replacement benefits payable to claimants who are unable to work as a result of their disability or health condition. Incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance customers may not be entitled to disability living allowance if they do not have mobility or care needs.
	Conversely, some disability living allowance customers may not be entitled to incapacity benefit or employment and support allowance, for example if they are able to work.
	Attendance allowance is awarded to customers over 65 who need help with personal care or supervision to keep them safe. A customer cannot receive both disability living allowance and attendance allowance.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department plans to publish the report of the pilots of the use of voice risk analysis to detect benefit fraud.

Chris Grayling: A summary of the evaluation of the use of voice risk analysis was published on the DWP website on 18 October 2010. The full report will also be published on the website 24 November 2010 and a copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Carbon Monoxide: Alarms

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to encourage registered social landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors in homes.

Andrew Stunell: The Department has no specific plans to encourage registered social housing providers to install carbon monoxide detectors in their properties. However, registered providers of social housing (formerly known as 'registered social landlords') are required to meet all statutory requirements that provide for the health and safety of the occupants in their properties. Compliance with this is monitored by the Tenant Services Authority through its regulatory standards framework. Current Health and Safety legislation does not require the installation of carbon monoxide alarms but do require the proper maintenance (and replacement if necessary) of gas boilers, flues etc, including annual gas safety checks.

Council Housing: Sales

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to permit local authorities to retain 100 per cent. of the capital receipts of the sale of council dwellings; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: At present 75% of the capital receipts from the sale of council dwellings to owner-occupiers, are paid to the Secretary of State. The spending review concluded that this arrangement will continue during the period 2011-15.

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants have been awarded by his Department in 2010-11 to date; what grants he plans to award in each of the next two years; what the monetary value is of each such grant; and to which organisations such grants are made.

Bob Neill: holding answer 18 November 2010
	 The total maximum amounts payable by the Department for Communities and Local Government for each grant programme above £1 million in 2010-11 are in table 1 as follows.
	The totals for formula grant paid by my Department (which comprises Revenue support grant and national non-domestic rates) for 2011-12 onwards were published in table 2.8 of the spending review 2010 document. The other grants for 2011-12 and 2012-13 which have so far been confirmed to local authorities are given in table 2 as follows. Details of other programmes will be released in due course.
	As part of my Department's broader transparency initiative, grant spending data over £500 from 2008-09 onwards can be found on the Department's website for public scrutiny.
	
		
			  Table 1: 2010-11 grant allocations made 
			   £ million (to one decimal point) 
			  Local authorities 2010-11  
			 National Non-Domestic Rates 21,587.8 
			 Revenue Support Grant 3,122.0 
			 Area Based Grant (DCLG only-inc. Supporting People) 2,162.7 
			 PFI Special Grant 909.0 
			 Decent Homes-Area Length Management Organisations 509.0 
			 Private Sector Renewal 301.7 
			 Decent Homes-Local Authority 258.8 
			 Disabled Facilities Grant 169.0 
			 Fire programmes (Fire authorities and Local Authorities) 96.5 
			 Improvement, Transformation and Efficiency (to regional leads) 79.4 
			 Homelessness and Housing Reform (Local Authority) 73.3 
			 New Deal for Communities 78.4 
			 Greater London Authority grant 48.1 
			 Growth Areas, Points and Eco Towns 29.1 
			 Local Economic Growth Incentive Capital 18.6 
			 Housing Strategy for Older People (Local Authority) 18.5 
			 Leaders' Boards 16.0 
			 Migration Impacts Fund (Local Authority) 12.3 
			 Housing Management 11.6 
			 Emergency Financial Assistance Local Authorities 7.0 
			 Renewing Neighbourhoods 5.9 
			 Community Sector (Local Authority) 4.0 
			 Implementing Planning Reforms 4.6 
			 Supporting People Admin 4.1 
			 Rent Officer Services and Pension Liabilities 2.5 
			 Procurement Efficiency in Social Housing 2.0 
			 Thames Gateway 1.6 
			 LA Emergency Budget Reduction grant 1.0 
			   
			  Arm's Length Bodies  
			 Homes and Communities Agency 3,861.3 
			 Olympics contributions 431.1 
			 Valuation Office Agency 150.2 
			 Planning Inspectorate 47.7 
			 Ordnance Survey 47.2 
			 Tenant Services Authority 33.2 
			 Thames Gateway London Development Corporation 39.2 
			 Thames Gateway Thurrock Development Corporation 26.0 
			 Commission for Local Administration 14.8 
			 Residential Property Tribunal Service 12.0 
			 Audit Commission 11.6 
			 West Northants Development Corporation 11.0 
			 Valuation Tribunals 9.8 
			 Local Government Standards Board 6.4 
			 Firebuy/Fire Service College 1.8 
			 Community Development Foundation 1.5 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service 1.5 
			 National Housing and Planning Advice Unit 1.2 
			 National Tenant Voice 1.2 
			   
			  Voluntary Sector/other  
			 Community Action 56.3 
			 Revenue Support Grant to specified bodies (eg IDeA) 45.0 
			 Homelessness and Housing Reform 19.5 
			 Coalfields Regeneration Trust 17.7 
			 Groundwork 14.1 
			 Implementing Planning Reforms 7.1 
			 Commission for Architecture and Built Environment 6.9 
			 Cohesion and Faith 6.3 
			 Zero Carbon Buildings (to Zero Carbon Hub) 6.0 
			 Race Equality and Diversity 5.9 
			 New Dimension (to Chief Fire Officers) 5.6 
			 Coalfields Enterprise Fund 5.0 
			 Migration Impact Fund 1.7 
			 Housing Strategy for Older People 1.3 
			 Preventing Extremism 1.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Confirmed grants to local government 2011-13 (except RSG) 
			  £ million 
			  Grant title  2011-12  2012-13 
			 Open Source Planning 5.00 10.00 
			 Fire (revenue and capital) 141.58 129.57 
			 Preventing Homelessness 90.00 90.00 
			 New Homes Bonus 196.00 250.00 
			 Local Authority Social Housing Grant 65.00 0.00 
			 Disabled Facilities Grant 180.00 180.00 
			 Decent Homes Arms Length Management Order 260.00 352.00

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: In the last 12 months the Department's Communication Directorate spent £117,105 on national and regional press cuttings services. Data from our accounting system show the following spend (excluding VAT) per month:
	
		
			   National cuttings supplier-Durrants (£)  Regional cuttings supplier-COI (£)  Total (£) 
			  2009
			 November 8,678.71 2,591.89 11,270.60 
			 December 7,947.50 3,930.40 11,877.90 
			 
			  2010
			 January 8,288.44 5,232.73 13,521.17 
			 February 6,558.47 5,847.16 12,405.63 
			 March 7,473.89 4,704.23 12,178.12 
			 April 8,353.12 3,461.07 11,814.19 
			 May 5,510.57 3,041.35 8,551.92 
			 June 5,752.14 3,554.22 9,306.36 
			 July 5,736.30 4,885.50 10,621.80 
			 August 4,364.43 3,303.61 7,668.04 
			 September 1,582.76 3,881.74 5,464.50 
			 October 2,425.16 n/a 2,425.16 
		
	
	In September 2010 the regional cuttings service was cancelled and the national cuttings service moved to an electronic only format with a limited list of recipients. Neither DCLG Ministers nor officials in the Department now receive hard copy press cuttings. Ministers have taken the view that an excessive and unnecessary amount of taxpayers' money was being spent on press cuttings.
	The Department estimates that the cancellation of the regional cuttings service and streamlining of the national cuttings service will save approximately £16,000 and £19,000 respectively in the remainder of this financial year.
	The Department does not hold centralised information on press cuttings services conducted for its non-departmental public bodies.

Fire Services: Emergency Calls

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will update Fire and Rescue Service Circular 9/2009 in respect of average response times to  (a) dwelling fires,  (b) commercial building fires and  (c) road traffic collisions; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Average response times by Fire and Rescue Authority area are shown in the following table for the latest period for which incident data are available.
	
		
			  Average response times( 1)  by fire and rescue services, England( 2) , April 2009 to March 2010( 3) 
			   Dwelling fires( 4)  Commercial building fires( 5)  Other building fires( 6)  Road traffic collisions( 7) 
			 Avon 7.5 7.5 8.1 9.9 
			 Bedfordshire 7.6 7.5 8.0 9.6 
			 Berkshire 7.5 7.8 8.3 10.0 
			 Buckinghamshire(2) - - - - 
			 Cambridgeshire 9.1 8.5 9.5 10.7 
			 Cheshire 8.4 8.3 8.9 10.5 
			 Cleveland 5.6 5.9 6.1 6.7 
			 Cornwall 11.0 10.2 10.2 12.5 
			 Cumbria 8.6 8.1 8.8 11.4 
			 Derbyshire 7.5 8.3 8.2 9.5 
			 Devon and Somerset 9.3 8.7 9.1 11.4 
			 Dorset 8.4 8.2 9.5 10.1 
			 Durham 8.0 7.0 7.8 9.3 
			 East Sussex 7.1 7.6 7.4 8.6 
			 Essex 8.1 8.6 9.0 10.2 
			 Gloucestershire 9.5 9.3 9.0 11.0 
			 Greater London 6.2 6.0 6.2 6.8 
			 Greater Manchester(2) - - - - 
			 Hampshire 7.2 7.3 7.3 9.1 
			 Hereford and Worcester 8.9 7.8 9.5 10.8 
			 Hertfordshire 7.7 7.2 7.4 9.2 
			 Humberside 7.0 7.4 7.9 10.5 
			 Isle Of Wight 9.0 8.4 7.1 9.9 
			 Isles Of Scilly - - 9.0 - 
			 Kent 6.9 8.0 7.9 9.3 
			 Lancashire 6.8 6.8 7.3 8.7 
			 Leicestershire 7.9 8.3 8.6 10.7 
			 Lincolnshire 9.1 8.1 9.4 11.3 
			 Merseyside 5.6 5.5 5.7 6.1 
			 Norfolk 8.9 8.3 8.7 10.4 
			 North Yorkshire 8.9 8.4 9.8 12.4 
			 Northamptonshire 8.2 8.6 8.6 11.4 
			 Northumberland 9.4 8.9 9.7 11.3 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.6 6.1 7.0 9.2 
			 Oxfordshire 9.5 9.0 9.0 12.3 
			 Shropshire 8.8 7.8 9.4 11.0 
			 South Yorkshire 7.4 7.8 7.7 8.4 
			 Staffordshire 8.2 8.4 8.6 10.1 
			 Suffolk 8.9 9.9 10.1 11.9 
			 Surrey 8.5 8.6 8.5 10.1 
			 Tyne and Wear 5.3 5.1 5.5 6.0 
			 Warwickshire 9.0 6.9 7.7 10.6 
			 West Midlands 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.8 
			 West Sussex 8.7 9.6 9.6 10.1 
			 West Yorkshire 6.8 6.5 6.9 7.9 
			 Wiltshire 9.3 9.6 10.3 11.6 
			 England 7.3 7.4 7.9 9.4 
			 (1) As per previous figures, excludes fires where (i) there was heat and smoke damage only, (ii) the call was made after the fire was known to be extinguished, (iii) where the response time calculated gives an hour or more. (2) Excludes Greater Manchester and Buckinghamshire as data provided were incomplete. (3) Data are provisional. (4) In order to be consistent with data source prior to April 2009, chimney fires not included in calculation. (5) Commercial buildings are taken to be offices and call centres and buildings in the following sectors: retail, wholesale, hotels, holiday accommodation, food and drink, transport, vehicle repair and communications. (6) Response times to 'Other buildings' are also shown to aid comparison with past data since the report "Review of Fire and Rescue Service Response Times", which was summarised in Circular 9/2009, did not have a category 'Commercial Buildings'. It calculated response times for the four main categories of fire location type: dwelling fires, other buildings fires, road vehicles fires and outdoor fires. (7) Response times to road traffic collisions in the report "Review of Fire and Rescue Service Response Times", which was summarised in Circular 9/2009, were based on data provided by 10 Fire and Rescue Services.  Source: CLG analysis of Incident Recording System data

Fire Services: Emergency Calls

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the likely effects on  (a) the number of fatalities and  (b) the costs of damage resulting from (a) dwelling fires, (b) commercial building fires and (c) road traffic collisions resulting from his Department's forecasts of changes in fire and rescue response times contained in Fire and Rescue Service Circular 9/2009; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: No further estimates have been made beyond those in the Report summarised in Fire and Rescue Service Circular 9/2009.

Fire Services: North West

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date he expects the North West Fire Service control centre in Warrington to be operational.

Bob Neill: The North West control centre would not become operational until after mid-2011 on current timetables. It is not one of the first three control centres in which the IT system is required to be completed by the main FiReControl contractor EADS (now branded Cassidian) for that date.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tamworth (Christopher Pincher) on 15 November 2010,  Official Report, column 537W, for steps that we have taken to ensure that EADS will meet their contractual obligations.
	The FiReControl project, initiated by the last Government, is over-budget and behind schedule. As with all major Government projects, it is being reviewed to ensure value-for-money for the taxpayer. We have been clear that EADS must deliver to time, cost and quality. The new Government are committed to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer, improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.

Fire Services: North West

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much money has been spent on locating the North West Fire Service control centre in Warrington.

Bob Neill: For the current running costs of all nine control centres, including the North West Control Centre in Warrington, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) on 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 505W.
	The cost of construction and installation of the control centres was borne by the developers as the buildings were procured through a private developer scheme.

Fire Services: Westmorland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of  (a) full-time and  (b) retained pumps in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency (i) on each shift and (ii) at each station were available for service on each day of the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is for each local authority to decide how best to provide fire and rescue-related services, allocating resource according to evaluation of risks.

Fire Services: Westmorland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) full-time and  (b) retained fire pumps there are in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency; and how many staff are attached to each.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest available centrally held data show that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service had a total of 53 pumping appliance in use.

Fire Services: Westmorland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to monitor present staffing levels on  (a) full-time and  (b) retained Fire Service pumps in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Bob Neill: The Department monitors staff numbers on an annual basis for each fire and rescue authority covering (i) whole-time firefighters, (ii) retained firefighters, (iii) fire control staff and (iv) non-uniformed staff.

Housing: Construction

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many initial notices were registered for house builds in each local authority area in  (a) Essex and  (b) Suffolk in the 12 months prior to the updated building regulations for new homes coming into force on 1 October 2010.

Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold a central record of initial notices registered for new house builds in Essex and Suffolk in the 12 months prior to 1 October 2010. However, every local authority in England and Wales is required to keep a publicly accessible register of information relating to initial notices given to them.

Land Supply

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the inclusion of an allowance for windfall land in the five-year land supply calculation.

Bob Neill: holding answer 12 November 2010
	The extant planning policy on housing is set out in Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3) issued by the last Government. PPS3 states that allowances for windfalls should not be included in the first 10 years of land supply unless local planning authorities can provide robust evidence of genuine local circumstances that prevent specific sites being identified. In these circumstances, an allowance should be included but should be realistic having regard to the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment, historic windfall delivery rates and expected future trends.
	In the coalition agreement, the new Government stated that they will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning policy framework covering all forms of development. Planning for housing policy will be considered as part of this. We announced in the Department's Business Plan that we will publish the national planning policy framework by April 2012. We will make a further announcement on how we propose to take forward the national planning framework and the implications for specific areas of planning policy.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects local enterprise partnerships to attain legal status.

Greg Clark: On 28 October, the Government published their Local Growth White Paper, which set out their approach to achieving local economic growth by shifting power to local levels and helping to create the right conditions for growth and recovery. This included announcing the first 24 local enterprise partnerships which have been given the go-ahead to establish their boards and begin dialogue with central Government on how we can help them realise the ambitions set out in their proposals.
	The Government do not intend to define local enterprise partnerships in legislation. Governance structures will need to be sufficiently robust and clear to ensure proper accountability for delivery. Partnerships will differ across the country in both form and functions in order to best meet local circumstances and opportunities. A partnership may need legal personality or a specified accountable body in some circumstances, such as if it wished to own assets or contract to deliver certain functions. The constitution and legal status of each partnership will be a matter for the partners, informed by the activities that they wish to pursue.
	We expect partnerships to be fully open and transparent, in line with the requirements of local authorities.

Local Government Finance

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to require the publication of each item of local government spending above £500 from January 2011; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the information is presented in an appropriate style and context.

Bob Neill: All local authorities are expected to publish data on items of spend of £500 and over from January 2011. Around 100 councils are already publishing this information. Given the importance of transparency to citizens and communities, I will continue to challenge and support those authorities yet to publish their data. Next month I intend to issue for consultation a Code of Recommended Practice, under section 2 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980. This will address issues such as the scope, formatting and timing of the duty to publish the data. In the meantime the Local Public Data Panel has published guidance on spend transparency, which the Local Government Association has taken as a basis for its practical guides for councils on publication of £500 spend and senior salaries. The Code of Recommended Practice will not cover data archiving and legacy issues. This is an important and complex issue with implications for many bodies and is being considered in a broader context.

Local Government: Surveys

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities provided a return to his Department's Gypsy and Traveller survey in each of the last five times the survey was conducted; and how many of those returns were zero in each such survey.

Andrew Stunell: The Department's Gypsy and Traveller survey is the bi-annual count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans on both authorised and unauthorised sites across England. The data from the previous five counts show the following returns:
	
		
			  Period of count  Number of local authorities that provided returns  Number of local authorities with zero caravan counts 
			 January 2010 305 50 
			 July 2009 297 46 
			 January 2009 337 57 
			 July 2008 338 49 
			 January 2008 342 54

Local Government: Surveys

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local authorities provided returns for the National Rodent Survey in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not held centrally. The survey is produced by the National Pest Technicians Association rather than by central Government.

Planning

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects the power of planning inspectors to amend local plans to be rescinded;
	(2)  what variations planning inspectors may make to local authorities' core strategies following their examinations in public.

Bob Neill: The Government want to see local plans that reflect the aspirations of their community, while maintaining the planning inspector's independent scrutiny role. Measures will be included in the Localism Bill which will be introduced to Parliament shortly.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to announce the winner of the first round of the carbon capture and storage demonstration programme.

Gregory Barker: We aim to award the contract for the first carbon capture and storage demonstration project, currently the subject of an ongoing procurement process, by the end of 2011.

Climate Change: Conferences

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who the members will be of the UK delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 22 November 2010
	The UK will be sending 46 delegates to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico, including two UK Ministers, 29 officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, two Ministers and three officials from the devolved Administrations, three officials from the Department for International Development, three officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, two representatives from the British embassy in Mexico, one official from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs and one official from the Department for Transport. This compares with the total of 70 officials (not including the then Prime Minister's delegation) sent to the COP in Copenhagen in 2009.
	The Head of Delegation will be the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne).

Departmental Grants

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value of grants awarded by his Department was in 2009-10; and how much he expects to award in grants in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: The Department awarded £877.85 million in grants in 2009-10(1).
	 (a) In 2010-11 I expect to award £804.25 million; and
	 (b) Following the spending review the Department is undertaking a business planning exercise, so cannot yet set out the sum I will award in grants during 2011-12.
	(1) This is available on page 77 of the Department's Annual Report 2009-10:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Annual%20Reports% 20Accounts%20and%20Business%20Plans/2010/218-decc-resource-2009-10.pdf

Energy: Conservation

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding he plans to allocate to the provision of energy efficiency measures in domestic and non-domestic buildings in the comprehensive spending review period; and how this funding will be administered.

Gregory Barker: Some existing policies, funded by obligations on energy companies, already have funding for part of the CSR period. To December 2012 energy companies are expected to invest more than £2 billion in the promotion of energy efficiency measures to householders to achieve their obligations under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and Community Energy Saving Programme(CESP).
	DECC will continue to fund a targeted Warm Front programme and associated fuel poverty activity from a budget of £110 million in 2011-12 and £100 million in 2012-13. Departmental allocations to particular DECC programmes, including to support energy efficiency through the proposed Green Deal, will be subject to the conclusion of the Department's business planning process. Details of the Department's overall CSR settlement are available on the DECC website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/csr_hmt_releas/csr_hmt_releas.aspx
	The most significant funding for Green Deal will come through private sector investment.

Energy: Housing

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria he plans to put in place to determine whether an energy efficiency measure will qualify for support under the proposed Green Deal programme.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 22 November 2010
	The Energy Bill will contain powers for the criteria and eligible measures to be set out in secondary legislation, which will be consulted on and taken forward next year.
	A key element of the Green Deal finance arrangements is that only measures that can demonstrate payback through energy efficiency savings, which are equal to or greater than the financing costs, will qualify.
	A future energy company obligation will provide additional financial support for vulnerable households and those in difficult to treat homes. Combining these finance sources will allow more difficult or expensive measures to be delivered under the Green Deal framework.

Fuel Poverty

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to ensure that his proposed Green Deal assists those in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal will provide the opportunity for householders to take action to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and protect themselves against price rises through greater energy saving. The new energy company obligation (ECO), which will take over from the current carbon emissions reduction target and community energy saving programme when they come to an end, will run in parallel with the Green Deal. The ECO will focus particularly on those, such as the most vulnerable and those in hard to treat homes, who require extra help.
	We expect energy companies to play a greater role than under previous obligations in helping ensure that more of the poorest and most vulnerable can afford to heat their homes adequately. Alongside insulation measures, we expect them to be able to offer basic heating systems for those who most need them.

Fuel Poverty

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to support vulnerable consumers affected by energy price increases.

Charles Hendry: From April 2011, regulations made under the powers in the Energy Act 2010 will require energy suppliers to provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households-with total support of £250 million in 2011-12 rising to £310 million in 2014-15.

Fuel Poverty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to consider the merits of incorporating the provision of HM Treasury-funded grants for low income and fuel poor households in the proposed Green Deal; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: A new Energy Company Obligation, to replace the current Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and Community Energy Saving Programme, will run alongside Green Deal with a greater focus on low income vulnerable households and those in hard to treat properties. The obligation will include a wider range of measures which improve energy performance, such as heating systems.
	Warm Front will continue until the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation are launched. We are working to improve the cost-effectiveness of the Warm Front Scheme by ensuring that activity is better targeted at the poorest and most vulnerable. In addition, from April next year, energy suppliers will be required to provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households.

Fuel Poverty

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in the  (a) private rented,  (b) social and  (c) owner-occupied sector in (i) England, (ii) Hyndburn and (iii) Haslingden are classed as being in fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: In 2008, there were 3.3 million fuel poor households in England. 0.6 million of these households were in the private rented sector, 0.6 million were in the social sector and 2.1 million were in the owner-occupied sector.
	In 2006, the most recent year for which sub-regional figures are available, there were around 5,500 fuel poor households in the local authority of Hyndburn. Data for the town of Haslingden is not available. Splits by tenure are only available at a national level.

Global Climate Fund

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the creation of a global climate fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Gregory Barker: We support setting up the Green Climate Fund, as set out in the Copenhagen Accord, and are working towards a decision at COP16 in Cancun to achieve this as part of a balanced package of outcomes.

Renewables Obligation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the renewables obligation in each year  (a) between 2002-03 and 2010-11 and  (b) of the 2010 spending review period.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has classified the renewables obligation as involving imputed tax and spending. The ONS's estimates of the historic tax and spend through the renewables obligation can be found in Table 11.1 of the 2010 Blue Book. This can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/bluebook2010.pdf
	Forecasts are the responsibility of the Independent Office of Budget Responsibility.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Leader of the House how much his Office spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

George Young: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Members: Pensions

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Leader of the House when he expects to be in a position to bring forward proposals for reform of the pensions scheme for hon. Members.

George Young: I set out the Government position in my written ministerial statement of 26 July 2010,  Official Report, column 70WS. We will make a further statement following the conclusion of the work of the Independent Public Service Pension Commission and the publication of their final report.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Human Trafficking: Convictions

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the rate of convictions for offences of human trafficking.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes this issue very seriously and is working closely with its partners to ensure that strong cases are built, so that prosecutions for human trafficking offences lead to more convictions in court. Where the CPS is unable to prosecute for a human trafficking offence, they will when appropriate prosecute for other offences such as assisting unlawful immigration to a member state (facilitation), rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, threats to kill and causing or inciting prostitution for gain.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral answers of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, column 5, on mental health care provision, what steps his Department plans to take to assist service personnel and veterans with a dual diagnosis of mental illness and alcohol-related disorders.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Mental Health Services (DMHS) provide a wide range of assessment and treatment facilities for service personnel who are thought to be suffering with mental health disorders, including alcohol misuse and related co-morbidity. Techniques used to manage disorders will vary with each individual case, but may include a combination of motivational interviewing and pharmacological treatment, provided by trained personnel. Care is also provided by primary care facilities for less complex cases, and in almost all cases primary care will be involved in supporting the various interventions that the DMHS provide. Where appropriate the chain of command will support personnel who wish to reduce or cease their alcohol consumption, and the single service alcohol-use policies are clear that excessive alcohol use which impacts upon a person's ability to perform their duties will not be tolerated.
	The national health service has lead responsibility for the provision of help to ex-service personnel experiencing mental health problems, including alcohol misuse. The Ministry of Defence is working with the Department of Health to ensure that the mental healthcare needs of former service personnel are met, including through the implementation of recommendations made by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report "Fighting Fit", which seeks to address mental health issues in the armed forces community.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people resident in each  (a) Government Office region,  (b) local authority area and  (c) parliamentary constituency were recruited to each of the armed forces in each year since 2000.

Andrew Robathan: The requested information is not held centrally. The following tables, however, provide the number of entrants from recruitment centres around the UK. This will give an indication of the geographical spread of recruitment but does not provide a comprehensive picture of where these individuals may reside as they may not always apply to join the services through their nearest career office or may choose other means by which to apply.
	Royal Navy and Royal Marine officers are primarily recruited via regional officer careers liaison centres, each of which covers a large area of the UK. Prior to 2009-10 RN/RM officers were not recruited through armed forces career offices. The recruitment data for army officers is based on data related to the location of the schools and universities from which Officers are recruited together with the small number recruited via careers offices. Army officer entrant figures before 2007-08 were collected on a different basis than currently and are not included. Figures for those recruited directly to particular regiments have not been included.
	Figures are not available for all years requested as over time various IT systems have been used which are not now compatible with current systems.
	In the following tables the following abbreviations are used:
	AFCO-Armed Forces Careers Office
	ACIO-Army Career Information Office
	CIO-Career Information Office.
	OCLC-Officer Career Liaison Office
	
		
			  RN and RM o fficer entrants 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 OCLC Birmingham 20 29 38 43 30 25 48 
			 OCLC London 42 54 61 50 89 77 64 
			 OCLC Manchester 57 74 76 66 57 50 79 
			 OCLC Northern Ireland 5 3 2 4 4 6 4 
			 OCLC Peterborough 30 32 23 46 39 29 46 
			 OCLC Plymouth 38 53 53 48 56 34 61 
			 OCLC Rosyth 22 27 36 35 26 20 28 
			 Admiralty Interview Board 80 62 48 37 58 71 49 
			 Naval Recruiting - 14 6 3 22 25 7 
			 AFCO London - - - - - - 24 
			 AFCO Luton - - - - - - - 
			 AFCO Portsmouth - - - - - - 4 
			 AFCO Reading - - - - - - 1 
			 CIO Guildford - - - - - - 3 
			 RN and RM Careers Southampton - - - - - - 3 
		
	
	
		
			  RN and RM  other rank e ntrants 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 CIO Derby 57 47 55 51 65 58 52 
			 AFCO Aberdeen 45 45 36 47 26 21 14 
			 AFCO Belfast 66 45 40 53 44 41 45 
			 AFCO Birmingham 99 68 76 62 81 78 82 
			 AFCO Bournemouth 65 74 103 104 101 117 93 
			 AFCO Brighton 45 43 58 55 69 54 73 
			 AFCO Bristol 61 61 78 81 73 71 82 
			 AFCO Cambridge 14 15 17 6 6 16 29 
			 AFCO Cardiff 66 88 78 77 70 101 80 
			 AFCO Carlisle 46 31 51 45 50 59 55 
			 AFCO Chatham 43 33 45 43 67 33 57 
			 AFCO Coventry 41 31 37 45 41 40 37 
			 AFCO Dundee 64 51 42 42 50 42 45 
			 AFCO Edinburgh 92 82 46 45 35 80 64 
			 AFCO Exeter 60 57 79 64 71 82 101 
			 AFCO Glasgow 76 108 89 67 89 114 90 
			 AFCO Gloucester 52 44 41 51 48 57 69 
			 AFCO Hull 106 80 88 90 89 72 95 
			 AFCO Inverness 18 23 33 20 21 25 20 
			 AFCO Ipswich 47 28 48 51 41 50 45 
			 AFCO Leeds 79 95 103 88 62 100 140 
			 AFCO Leicester 59 42 44 35 39 26 40 
			 AFCO Lincoln 54 66 69 63 59 80 68 
			 AFCO Liverpool 152 173 172 150 168 175 168 
			 AFCO London 93 99 111 155 132 157 116 
			 AFCO Luton 68 53 47 76 64 81 65 
			 AFCO Manchester 153 137 146 131 159 193 179 
			 AFCO Middlesbrough 87 79 90 81 68 91 81 
			 AFCO Newcastle 148 155 162 153 142 163 143 
			 AFCO Norwich 51 52 55 43 48 53 50 
			 AFCO Nottingham 85 61 61 74 49 74 55 
			 AFCO Oxford 46 44 36 42 34 48 40 
			 AFCO Peterborough 24 37 43 54 47 36 40 
			 AFCO Plymouth 231 216 193 169 217 219 171 
			 AFCO Portsmouth 205 150 168 156 170 179 162 
			 AFCO Preston 89 66 76 86 77 106 91 
			 AFCO Reading - 15 31 41 43 55 48 
			 AFCO Redruth 66 67 50 59 47 62 69 
			 AFCO Sheffield 83 82 89 69 85 85 89 
			 AFCO Shrewsbury 48 43 59 37 45 36 45 
			 AFCO Stoke 30 23 37 26 32 37 64 
			 AFCO Swansea 74 51 81 52 71 72 85 
			 AFCO Wrexham 26 31 45 34 39 31 40 
			 CIO Canterbury 25 28 24 40 56 50 53 
			 CIO Chelmsford 30 38 45 72 65 69 56 
			 CIO Darlington 66 42 49 71 61 70 54 
			 CIO Dunfermline 31 32 31 31 30 28 23 
			 CIO Guildford 43 50 56 61 62 87 55 
			 CIO Taunton(RN & RM) 89 70 71 55 75 59 52 
			 CIO Wolverhampton 20 22 14 22 18 19 23 
			 RN&RM Careers Office Ilford 19 32 21 45 47 45 47 
			 RN&RM Careers Southampton 46 39 58 52 52 61 55 
			 Royal Navy St Helens 57 51 41 57 49 59 54 
			 Naval Recruiting HQ 1 1 2 2 3 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			  Army  o fficers 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 East 47 47 53 
			 London 76 71 65 
			 North East 11 56 58 
			 North West 32 61 41 
			 Scotland 74 61 48 
			 South East 55 100 84 
			 Wessex 7 27 46 
			 West Midlands 65 84 58 
			 Northern Ireland 8 9 16 
			 East Anglia 8 6 14 
			 East Midlands 3 3 1 
			 Home Counties 7 3 3 
			 South 3 6 2 
			 South West 1 5 6 
			 Wales (North) - 4 9 
			 Wales (South) 1 5 11 
		
	
	
		
			  Army other ranks 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 ACIO Abergavenny - - - - - - - - 1 1 
			 ACIO Aldershot 93 115 126 113 131 94 89 78 116 122 
			 ACIO Ashington 70 60 71 47 46 59 54 44 39 66 
			 ACIO Barnsley 102 121 130 121 89 66 100 88 77 110 
			 ACIO Barnstaple 56 54 41 56 48 60 61 49 52 37 
			 ACIO Barrow-in-Furness 93 77 70 75 47 42 27 47 55 40 
			 ACIO Bath - - - - - - - 1 - 8 
			 ACIO Bathgate 52 55 77 49 59 36 51 41 40 47 
			 ACIO Birkenhead 155 144 125 122 86 101 99 141 106 88 
			 ACIO Bishop Auckland 74 72 78 80 46 71 66 42 50 54 
			 ACIO Blackburn 93 95 114 85 71 122 115 71 70 74 
			 ACIO Blackpool 126 99 114 93 86 103 107 69 94 113 
			 ACIO Bolton 113 139 141 153 118 127 81 94 163 155 
			 ACIO Boston 39 49 70 67 48 51 66 58 70 53 
			 ACIO Bradford 141 143 172 170 131 139 154 119 143 158 
			 ACIO Bridgend - - - - - 24 60 44 55 44 
			 ACIO Bromley 134 176 180 110 65 93 96 108 97 102 
			 ACIO Burnley 94 87 107 103 88 109 108 103 96 120 
			 ACIO Burton-on-Trent 108 113 130 120 72 105 104 87 99 106 
			 ACIO Canterbury 87 105 90 63 58 70 71 55 64 46 
			 ACIO Carmarthen 44 60 34 39 30 42 35 39 33 42 
			 ACIO Catterick 35 24 32 25 18 24 39 31 46 64 
			 ACIO Chelmsford 54 112 144 150 106 107 143 73 62 64 
			 ACIO Chester 103 92 94 81 55 75 75 75 82 68 
			 ACIO Chesterfield 85 99 94 113 76 109 122 63 75 74 
			 ACIO Chichester 40 31 22 8 32 2 - 23 36 37 
			 ACIO Coleraine 94 74 80 55 74 47 52 32 49 42 
			 ACIO Coventry 162 161 168 167 150 123 148 191 194 169 
			 ACIO Croydon 88 157 205 168 68 133 134 106 91 106 
			 ACIO Darlington 84 83 106 90 32 69 93 75 83 81 
			 ACIO Derby 98 90 97 63 66 77 79 91 105 116 
			 ACIO Doncaster 140 132 132 143 84 133 143 112 151 127 
			 ACIO Dover 47 61 65 42 47 50 45 48 58 76 
			 ACIO Dumbarton 34 42 62 48 42 61 52 18 36 39 
			 ACIO Dumfries 79 61 74 77 61 47 59 26 47 51 
			 ACIO Dunfermline 72 64 58 112 56 65 44 35 42 46 
			 ACIO Durham 129 125 122 120 81 95 92 67 77 59 
			 ACIO Elgin 43 42 27 40 32 33 25 22 17 25 
			 ACIO Enniskillen 46 29 38 30 27 14 16 31 35 66 
			 ACIO Galashiels 54 36 55 46 24 22 23 31 27 35 
			 ACIO Greenock 37 22 41 48 20 33 41 14 29 47 
			 ACIO Grimsby 80 112 117 110 84 78 79 82 64 93 
			 ACIO Halifax 72 64 67 71 44 50 38 59 50 63 
			 ACIO Hamilton 102 81 123 139 92 79 52 51 79 81 
			 ACIO Haverfordwest 48 51 51 54 54 48 40 27 42 36 
			 ACIO Hereford 93 74 76 78 53 77 80 75 92 80 
			 ACIO Huddersfield 111 133 140 104 81 63 95 41 84 72 
			 ACIO Ilford 125 149 186 210 92 97 107 122 115 130 
			 ACIO Ipswich 68 71 67 58 71 73 97 97 112 73 
			 ACIO Irvine 146 80 149 148 111 97 88 57 63 106 
			 ACIO Kirkcaldy 67 65 73 83 42 52 51 38 47 43 
			 ACIO Lancaster 87 86 89 78 69 68 64 67 98 82 
			 ACIO Luton 68 90 132 135 85 116 158 132 132 125 
			 ACIO Mansfield 99 117 109 113 98 74 82 90 130 123 
			 ACIO Merthyr Tydfil - - - - 20 50 70 54 62 51 
			 ACIO Milton Keynes 79 100 96 95 44 72 78 83 87 44 
			 ACIO Newport 123 158 124 118 67 105 126 102 75 99 
			 ACIO Newport (IOW) 51 47 35 40 30 25 34 24 25 31 
			 ACIO Northampton 108 88 131 127 118 112 129 143 171 194 
			 ACIO Oldham 86 88 91 111 103 95 101 78 95 115 
			 ACIO Oxford 63 73 95 82 55 55 83 50 68 57 
			 ACIO Paisley 62 42 90 69 48 40 31 25 28 57 
			 ACIO Perth 54 34 45 36 25 30 37 27 33 35 
			 ACIO Pontypridd 101 142 120 124 89 80 78 74 60 72 
			 ACIO Portadown 66 63 55 45 27 35 24 34 54 68 
			 ACIO Rochdale - - - - - 31 83 76 69 76 
			 ACIO Salisbury 99 108 109 77 60 70 92 106 96 72 
			 ACIO Scarborough 65 85 104 48 56 51 70 62 66 39 
			 ACIO Southampton 278 84 200 85 65 71 98 79 98 100 
			 ACIO South Shields 69 83 80 87 49 63 71 70 57 68 
			 ACIO Stirling 108 101 85 71 63 86 90 45 45 93 
			 ACIO Stockport 109 105 104 118 104 108 121 109 98 108 
			 ACIO Sunderland 133 117 144 116 79 90 98 122 117 95 
			 ACIO Taunton 108 94 115 84 66 65 72 79 81 76 
			 ACIO Torquay 62 81 87 76 53 44 63 68 67 46 
			 ACIO Tunbridge Wells 22 23 34 29 15 36 30 26 27 14 
			 ACIO Victoria 299 461 525 461 340 267 344 314 520 214 
			 ACIO Wakefield 128 129 129 107 95 85 119 141 150 129 
			 ACIO Warrington 136 176 196 101 81 98 102 82 76 104 
			 ACIO Wembley 124 158 166 194 128 129 111 124 127 132 
			 ACIO Wigan 124 113 130 126 87 101 108 104 119 95 
			 ACIO Wolverhampton 167 147 189 169 103 111 119 181 217 204 
			 ACIO Worcester 104 120 69 117 111 117 140 142 130 152 
			 ACIO Workington 61 53 57 43 42 36 60 44 51 45 
			 ACIO York 67 76 107 58 54 74 87 97 95 99 
			 AFCO Aberdeen 102 66 102 83 86 82 51 53 33 48 
			 AFCO Belfast 378 299 401 312 265 214 246 260 291 318 
			 AFCO Birmingham 668 681 737 665 508 505 573 744 832 664 
			 AFCO Bournemouth 215 226 203 164 123 150 205 204 208 150 
			 AFCO Brighton 190 220 248 206 202 146 161 191 208 184 
			 AFCO Bristol 170 213 227 225 180 144 149 138 170 150 
			 AFCO Cambridge 245 267 376 369 262 327 386 329 359 353 
			 AFCO Cardiff 490 518 400 402 274 380 440 388 339 325 
			 AFCO Carlisle 203 175 195 161 128 115 135 150 157 160 
			 AFCO Chatham 270 311 341 269 210 255 253 236 248 241 
			 AFCO Dundee 281 266 263 299 195 207 181 153 178 205 
			 AFCO Edinburgh 288 330 384 316 263 203 234 187 185 245 
			 AFCO Exeter 294 299 348 295 234 240 276 300 283 238 
			 AFCO Glasgow 647 721 791 723 521 516 523 309 396 586 
			 AFCO Hull 305 307 436 255 213 256 304 294 335 315 
			 AFCO Inverness 125 91 100 113 73 101 78 56 56 68 
			 AFCO Leeds 652 656 693 631 523 547 677 572 630 624 
			 AFCO Leicester 241 220 287 269 201 220 263 260 335 393 
			 AFCO Lincoln 233 289 323 255 191 227 253 234 231 267 
			 AFCO Liverpool 670 701 683 527 410 485 504 515 512 510 
			 AFCO London 819 1189 1400 1478 1102 1034 966 1093 1306 856 
			 AFCO Manchester 694 698 724 764 615 664 668 681 738 783 
			 AFCO Middlesbrough 589 515 712 610 366 471 481 375 395 395 
			 AFCO Newcastle 505 472 560 488 351 348 440 384 401 434 
			 AFCO Norwich 198 204 174 174 172 222 264 240 310 210 
			 AFCO Nottingham 423 427 413 412 353 398 441 401 501 524 
			 AFCO Peterborough 107 91 119 128 97 112 135 128 131 125 
			 AFCO Plymouth 251 269 197 235 182 201 228 196 198 141 
			 AFCO Portsmouth 505 333 474 329 295 282 352 330 363 385 
			 AFCO Preston 517 467 553 472 398 543 513 450 488 527 
			 AFCO Reading 399 266 293 294 174 221 245 233 266 190 
			 AFCO Redruth 98 107 74 62 62 73 90 77 101 58 
			 AFCO Sheffield 378 371 378 413 277 303 376 335 341 383 
			 AFCO Shrewsbury 303 313 259 303 274 353 317 332 338 348 
			 AFCO Southend-on-Sea 109 210 225 280 202 181 217 205 215 200 
			 AFCO Stoke-on-Trent 299 303 332 294 224 292 326 298 304 357 
			 AFCO Swansea 335 318 241 225 204 240 275 224 293 249 
			 AFCO Wrexham - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Bury - - - - - - - - - 5 
			 Colchester Forward Operating Base - 1 - - - 1 6 66 81 84 
			 Crewe - - 4 1 1 4 38 31 36 59 
			 Kendal - - 1 - - - - - - 26 
			 Kirkby - - - - - - - 1 - 17 
			 St Helens - 1 1 - - - - 1 1 24 
		
	
	
		
			  RAF o fficer and other ranks entrants 
			   2009-10  2008-09  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04 
			 AFCO Cambridge 38 65 53 38 20 30 40 
			 AFCO Leicester 57 92 35 26 27 47 89 
			 AFCO Lincoln 184 233 117 75 61 73 139 
			 AFCO Luton 27 23 4 5 18 24 45 
			 AFCO Norwich 56 108 54 38 53 55 101 
			 AFCO Nottingham 103 142 95 58 33 84 127 
			 AFCO Peterborough 73 111 93 43 36 52 88 
			 AFCO Nottingham 11 31 24 11 1 0 0 
			 AFCO Hull 73 95 66 51 23 41 75 
			 AFCO Leeds 132 123 85 69 60 79 137 
			 AFCO Middlesbrough 130 154 77 52 51 71 165 
			 AFCO Newcastle 115 167 100 42 45 65 131 
			 AFCO Sheffield 168 131 113 84 64 64 101 
			 AFCO Leeds 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 
			 AFCO Carlisle 45 54 39 17 28 42 46 
			 AFCO Liverpool 174 271 177 76 60 109 189 
			 AFCO Manchester 165 261 90 39 37 61 133 
			 AFCO Preston 126 170 81 59 36 70 112 
			 AFCO Wrexham 62 77 73 37 44 55 148 
			 AFCO Aberdeen 12 24 11 12 14 35 47 
			 AFCO Belfast 26 25 36 28 22 46 69 
			 AFCO Dundee 49 63 56 31 17 42 85 
			 AFCO Edinburgh 38 49 41 30 27 42 71 
			 AFCO Glasgow 96 105 59 30 27 64 117 
			 AFCO Inverness 17 32 24 27 17 31 46 
			 Kentigern House-Glasgow 10 27 51 3 2 0 0 
			 AFCO Bournemouth 71 48 56 23 25 24 47 
			 AFCO Brighton 63 79 69 37 24 36 65 
			 AFCO Chatham 74 105 66 41 21 47 66 
			 AFCO London 72 58 74 43 31 37 68 
			 AFCO Oxford 89 107 74 49 25 24 64 
			 AFCO Portsmouth 59 61 9 55 33 48 86 
			 AFCO Southend 49 72 33 20 18 26 53 
			 AFCO Bristol 74 90 65 34 19 37 64 
			 AFCO Cardiff 114 142 58 22 30 38 97 
			 AFCO Exeter 61 102 74 47 30 35 79 
			 AFCO Plymouth 73 80 55 28 29 44 87 
			 AFCO Redruth 49 48 29 22 24 33 56 
			 AFCO Swansea 64 100 57 28 26 38 95 
			 AFCO Plymouth 1 2 5 12 3 0 0 
			 AFCO Birmingham 138 167 110 70 93 79 137 
			 AFCO Coventry 78 84 50 19 19 35 43 
			 AFCO Gloucester 77 113 68 30 21 34 92 
			 AFCO Shrewsbury 70 92 66 33 32 39 62 
			 AFCO Stoke 97 108 56 21 23 24 54 
			 Senior Career Liaison Officer RAF Halton 7 16 4 1 0 0 1 
			 Senior Career Liaison Officer RAF Linton on Ouse 6 8 6 7 4 2 3 
			 Senior Career Liaison Officer RAF Wittering 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Director Recruitment and Initial Training-RAF Cranwell 24 4 3 1 0 0 1 
			 Officer and Airmen Selection Centre-RAF Cranwell 214 180 154 170 167 167 210

Armed Forces: Training

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 20-21W, on the Defence Technical College, what  (a) estimate he has made of the cost to and  (b) assessment he has made of the likely effects on the armed services of the opportunities arising from bringing services together which will be lost as a result of terminating the Defence Training Rationalisation programme.

Nick Harvey: The Defence Training Rationalisation (DTR) project was terminated because it became clear that Metrix could not deliver an affordable, commercially robust proposal within the prescribed period. Technical training collocated on as few sites as possible remains the best solution for our armed forces and we have a new programme in place to assess requirement and options.

Armed Forces: Training

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 20-21W, on the Defence Technical College, what estimate he has made of  (a) the cost to his Department in respect of efficiencies foregone and  (b) direct cost to the Exchequer consequent on terminating the Defence Training Rationalisation programme.

Nick Harvey: The Defence Training Rationalisation (DTR) project had already delivered some efficiencies in how tri-service training is managed. The project was terminated because it became clear that Metrix could not deliver an affordable, commercially robust proposal within the prescribed period. However, technical training collocated on as few sites as possible remains the best solution for our armed forces and we are working on assessing other options which will seek to create similar efficiencies to DTR.
	In terms of direct costs, Ministry of Defence officials are currently engaging with Metrix, the preferred bidder for the DTR contract, over the settlement of claims arising from pre-contract agreements. Therefore the extent of the costs have yet to be determined.

Army

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army infantry have been recruited in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: 3,030 entrants undertook soldier training for the Infantry in the 12 month period up to 30 September 2010. As this figure is calculated on a rolling basis and many of these entrants are still in training, it is not possible to say how many will successfully complete training and enter the field army as infantry personnel.
	Equivalent information is not held for officer entrants; apart from professionally qualified officers, such as doctors, officer entrants are not assigned a cap badge until they complete training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Defence Support Group: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed by the Defence Support Group in each site in Scotland.

Peter Luff: The Defence Support Group currently employs 105 personnel at Stirling, which is its only site in Scotland.

Defence: Procurement

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely proportion of defence contracts to be awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in each year of the Spending Review period.

Peter Luff: In the year to the end of March 2010, some 45% of the new contracts placed by the Ministry of Defence were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Along with other Government Departments, we will be taking action to increase the amount of business placed with SMEs although no specific estimates have been made. The role of SMEs in the defence acquisition and supply chain will be fully explored in the forthcoming Defence and Security Industrial and Technology Green and White Papers.

Defence: Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what project history documentation, as defined in Maintaining a Project History, v4.0, August 2007, was maintained in respect of the  (a) Nimrod,  (b) Future Integrated Soldier Technology,  (c) aircraft carriers and  (d) future rapid effect system projects; and if he will place a copy of each in the Library.

Peter Luff: A copy of the Project History documents maintained in respect of the Nimrod MRA4, Future Integrated Soldier Technology, Queen Elizabeth Class carriers and Future Rapid Effect System projects will be placed in the Library of the House following a review to identify whether any information needs to be withheld.

Departmental Intellectual Property

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many ongoing legal cases relating to intellectual property his Department is involved.

Andrew Robathan: The are three pending legal actions concerning intellectual property rights involving the Secretary of State for Defence and the Ministry of Defence, all in the United Kingdom.

Departmental Pensions

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely effects on his Department's expenditure in the comprehensive spending review period of the indexation of pensions using the consumer price index.

Andrew Robathan: Detailed calculations are being undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and the Government Actuary's Department to assess the impact on service pensions from the change to the Consumer Price Index. Civil service pensions are paid from a central Government fund. It will not be possible to identify separately those relating to former MOD employees.

France: Aircraft Carriers

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the likely availability for service of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle between 2020 and 2035;
	(2)  what recent reports he has received on  (a) the availability for service and  (b) maintenance performed on the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The UK and France have agreed to develop the capability to deploy a UK-French integrated carrier strike group, incorporating assets owned by both countries, by the early 2020s. Work to achieve this is at an early stage and will take account, among other things, of the availability of each nation's naval assets.

Iraq: Military Aid

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what British military equipment has been transferred to the Iraqi government in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to transfer British military equipment to the Iraqi government.

Nick Harvey: The following table lists the gifts of British military equipment above the value of £1,000 to the Government of Iraq which were authorised in the last five years. We currently have no plans to transfer further British military equipment to the Iraqi Government.
	
		
			  Gift Date  Gift Description 
			 29 September 2005 Portacabins and machinery given to the Iraqi armed forces and Iraqi local government 
			 4 March 2006 Sleeping bags given to the Iraqi army 
			 19 December 2006 Five containers given to the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement 
			 24 April 2007 Infrastructure at Al Shaibah Logistics Base transferred to Iraqi army 
			 March-April 2007 UK assets from the Old State Building, Basra, and Shatt al Arab Hotel, Basra; mostly comprising accommodation stores, kitchen equipment, generators and temporary ablution facilities 
			 May 2007 Accommodation stores to Iraqi army 
			 2007 Petrol and diesel supplies to Iraqi security forces 
			 August 2007 Infrastructure, accommodation and stores to Iraqi Palace Protection Force 
			 September 2007 300 hand grenades to Iraqi Palace Protection Force 
			 December 2007 Medical supplies to Iraqi medical services following car bombings 
			 January 2008 Boots to the Iraqi Security Forces 
			 2008 Diesel, fuel and oil to Iraqi security forces in Basra and the Basra Council 
			 20 February 2008 15,000 high density blocks to Iraqi security forces 
			 7 February 2008 A supply of HESCO defensive wall to Iraqi security forces 
			 12 March 2008 Four portacabins transferred to Iraqi security forces 
			 March 2008 Halal and vegetarian rations and bottled water to Iraqi security forces in Basra 
			 9 May 2008 Tools for Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams

Members: Correspondence

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 October 2010 from the hon. Member for North West Durham regarding a meeting with representatives of Astrum in North West Durham constituency.

Gerald Howarth: I have responded to the hon. Member today.

Military Aircraft

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) fleet air arm and  (b) Royal Air Force (i) pilots and (ii) other personnel (A) have been trained and (B) will be trained on Rafale aircraft.

Nick Harvey: The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force do not have any pilots or other personnel who are trained to fly or operate the French Rafale aircraft.
	As part of the future carrier strike capability announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review and the recent UK-France Defence Co-operation Treaty, a range of bilateral future training options with France are being considered. However, there are no plans at present to train Royal Navy and RAF pilots or personnel on the Rafale aircraft.

Military Aircraft

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to use Rafale aircraft as an interim measure until the joint strike fighter aircraft is available for use on the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Peter Luff: As the Prime Minister made clear in his statement on the Strategic Defence and Security Review to the House on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 797, we plan to deliver a carrier strike capability from around 2020 using the carrier variant joint strike fighter and a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear. We are not planning to use Rafale aircraft in the meantime.

Military Aircraft

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what language French aircraft crew will use when operating from and within the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.

Nick Harvey: The Queen Elizabeth class carriers will be ships of the Royal Navy and so the working language aboard will be English.

Naval Emergency Monitoring Team

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to retain the  (a) Clyde Off-Site Centre and  (b) Naval Emergency Monitoring Team (North) at their current location in Rhu.

Nick Harvey: There are no current plans to close the Clyde off-site centre or to move the Naval Emergency Monitoring Team (North) from their current location in Rhu.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions overseas in the last three years a foreign-requested aircraft has provided search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters; what role each played; what the location of each incident was; and whether each occurrence was in response to obligations under Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Nick Harvey: Around the globe, Search and Rescue (SAR) services are co-ordinated by the Regional Co-ordination Centre whose area of responsibility the overseas territories lies within, with the exception of the British Indian Ocean Territory, British sovereign base areas on Cyprus and the Falkland Islands.
	The information requested is not held for the British Indian Ocean Territory. There has been one occasion in territorial waters within the British sovereign base area in Cyprus near RAF Akrotiri on 12 December 2009, when Cyprus police helicopter assets provided SAR jointly with a helicopter from 84 Squadron. There have been no occasions when foreign aircraft have been requested to assist in the Falkland Islands.
	For the remaining territories, the only available information concerns an incident in October 2008, when the MV Fedra ran aground off Europa Point in Gibraltar territorial waters. A Spanish coastguard helicopter winched some personnel off the ship as part of a joint UK-Spanish effort.
	As a contracting state the UK Government adhere to annex 12 of the convention on international civil aviation; the incidents above follow the principle established in the annex that co-operation between the SAR services of neighbouring states is essential to the efficient conduct of SAR operations.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft order on the ability of the UK to meet its obligations under section 2.1.9 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue;
	(2)  what assessment has he made of the likely effects of the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft order on the ability of the Government to meet their obligations under section 4.7.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 450-51W, to the hon. Members for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (Mr McCann), Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) and North Durham (Mr Jones).

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Government has received a request for assistance from a neighbouring state in accordance with section 3.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue in each of the last five years; and which search and rescue assets provided assistance on each such occasion.

Nick Harvey: A search of available records found 34 occasions between 1 January 2005 and 13 November 2010 when the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre tasked Search and Rescue assets to provide assistance to neighbouring states. These are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  2005 
			  Date  
			 20 February Nimrod MR2 
			 2 July Nimrod MR2 
			 24 August Nimrod MR2 
			 8 November Nimrod MR2 
			 1 December Nimrod MR2 
		
	
	
		
			  2006 
			  Date  
			 28 January RN Sea King 
			 31 January MCA(1) S-61 Helicopter and RAF Sea King 
			 28 March Nimrod MR2 
			 7 July Nimrod MR2 
			 22 August Nimrod MR2 
			 30 October Nimrod MR2 
			 1 November Nimrod MR2 
		
	
	
		
			  2007 
			  Date  
			 20 February Nimrod MR2 and RAF Sea King 
			 1 March RAF Sea King 
			 3 June RN Sea King 
			 28 September Nimrod MR2 
			 31 October Nimrod MR2 
			 13 November RAF Sea King and Nimrod MR2 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			  Date  
			 7 January RN Sea Kings x 2 
			 25 January RAF Sea King and Oil Industry Super Puma 
			 21 February Nimrod MR2 
			 27 February Nimrod MR2 
			 4 March Nimrod MR2 
			 5 March Nimrod MR2 
			 15 March Nimrod MR2 
			 1 June MCA(1) S-92 Helicopter 
			 4 October RAF Sea King 
			 16 November RAF Sea King 
			 12 December Nimrod MR2 
		
	
	
		
			  2009 
			  Date  
			 14 January MCA(1) AW-139 Helicopter 
			 10 February RAF Sea King 
			 18 June Nimrod MR2 
			 1 September RN Sea King 
		
	
	
		
			  2010 (1 January to 13 November) 
			  Date  
			 4 October RAF Sea King 
			 (1) MCA = Maritime and Coastguard Agency 
		
	
	The decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service was difficult. Since the withdrawal of the Nimrod MR2 in March 2010, the Ministry of Defence has sought to mitigate the gap in capability through the use of other military assets, including Type 23 Frigates, Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopters and Hercules C-130 aircraft, and by relying, where appropriate, on assistance from allies and partners. Although it was originally assumed that such measures would only be required for a limited period of time, we are now developing a longer-term plan to mitigate the impact of cancellation.

Territorial Army

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the Territorial Army consists of infantry, excluding the University Officer Training Corps.

Andrew Robathan: As at 1 October 2010, 23% of the Territorial Army consists of the Infantry. These figures are provisional while work continues to validate data held on the Joint Personnel Administration system.

Territorial Army

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what roles the Territorial Army infantry will be trained for in addition to riflemen.

Andrew Robathan: The Territorial Army Infantry will continue to operate Support Weapons, Signals, Mechanical Transport and a logistics capability (Quartermasters) all of which will be supported by specialist courses and qualifications.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Mining

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he has had recent discussions on the Aynak mines in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: I discussed the Aynak mine with the Afghan Minister for Mines during a meeting in June of this year. The contract for the Aynak copper mine in Afghanistan was awarded to a Chinese company, the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) in 2008 following a tender process overseen by the World Bank on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office on aid workers operating in Taliban-controlled areas; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK supports the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) through our contributions to the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission (ECHO). I have not had recent discussions with ANSO. However, UK Government officials based in Kabul are in regular contact and share relevant security information with ANSO.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the proportion of his Department's budget spent on programmes in Afghanistan in 2010-11.

Andrew Mitchell: We currently estimate that the Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral programme spend in Afghanistan will constitute approximately 2.2% of DFID's total resource budget for 2010-11. DFID will also provide funding to Afghanistan through our contributions to multilateral agencies. These contributions are calculated retrospectively.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following on press cuttings services in each month between October 2009 and September 2010.
	
		
			  £ 
			 September 2010 2,286.99 
			 August 2010 2,602.09 
			 July 2010 2,915.39 
			 June 2010 4,684.90 
			 May 2010 4,182.79 
			 April 2010 3,871.76 
			 March 2010 3,854.23 
			 February 2010 4,914.60 
			 January 2010 5,420.51 
			 December 2009 4,490.35 
			 November 2009 4,501.65 
			 October 2009 4,218.61 
		
	
	DFID's only non-departmental public body, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, has spent no money on press cuttings services over the last year.

Developing Countries: Microfinance

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of microfinance programmes supported by his Department.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) Business Plan 2011-15 commits to developing new projects on microfinance as part of the Government strategy to foster wealth creation and economic growth in developing countries.
	All DFID programmes are currently being reviewed under the Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews, to ensure UK aid is effective, represents value for money and brings real benefits to the world's poor. DFID has also commissioned a systematic review of the impact of microfinance on poor people. This report will be posted on the DFID website early next year. Both these exercises will inform DFID's future support in this area.

Developing Countries: Microfinance

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which  (a) charities and  (b) other organisations have received funding from his Department to institute, develop or run microfinance programmes in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: Over the past five years, the Department for International Development (DFID) has worked directly and indirectly with a broad range of organisations, including non-governmental organisations, foundations, multilateral institutions, banks and financial institutions, in a number of countries to fund microfinance programmes and develop their capacity to provide microfinance services, such as;
	Opportunity International Bank of Malawi
	Care International in Uganda
	Kashf Foundation (an NGO-Microfinance Institution) in Pakistan
	State Bank of Pakistan in Pakistan
	Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in India
	Palli Karma Sahayek Foundation, in Bangladesh
	The Institute of Microfinance in Bangladesh
	The Microcredit Regulatory Authority in Bangladesh
	The Bangladesh Bank in Bangladesh
	Financial Sector Deepening Trust in Kenya
	Financial Sector Deepening Trust in Tanzania
	Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (Efina) in Nigeria
	DFID is unable to provide a definitive list of all organisations funded in each of the last five without incurring disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department plans to provide to each G20 country in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is currently reviewing all spending through country/and regional programmes to ensure we focus our resources where we can achieve the most impact. We will close or reduce programmes in countries that no longer require substantial aid programmes. The Secretary of State has previously announced that UK bilateral aid programmes in China and Russia will close.

Overseas Aid

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the ability of his Department to cease payments for projects in  (a) Russia and  (b) China before their implementation; and if he will estimate the likely effects on his Department's budget of immediately ceasing such payments.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) bilateral aid to Russia will end in April 2011. Following this decision two projects will be closed early, arrangements have been made with project partners to bring these to an orderly conclusion. All of DFID's projects in China will end by March 2011. The feasibility of terminating projects earlier was assessed on a case by case basis but not considered practicable given the relative imminence of their closure.
	Savings as a result of these closures are being reallocated within DFID's wider development programme.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to refugees in Pakistan.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides aid to internally displaced people (IIDPs) within Pakistan, including those who have been displaced by the recent flooding. Among other life saving aid, we have provided emergency shelter for over 230,000 people and safe drinking and hygiene kits for over 800,000 people. DFID's total contribution to the humanitarian response in Pakistan is £134 million.
	In addition to aid provided in response to the floods, DFID has provided £54.5 million in humanitarian support to Pakistan since 2008. This includes significant support to people internally displaced as a result of the 2009 conflict in the border areas, such as protection and humanitarian assistance to 800,000 people and food aid for up to 1.4 million people.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had on the humanitarian situation in Pakistan.

Andrew Mitchell: I discussed post-floods recovery and reconstruction with the Government of Pakistan and international partners when I attended the Pakistan Development Forum in Islamabad on 15 November 2010. I have had regular discussions on the humanitarian situation with the UN, European Commission, other bilateral donors and the Government of Pakistan to ensure there continues to be an adequate and effective response to the floods.

Thailand: Overseas Aid

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has for humanitarian aid programmes in response to take account of the recent increase in the number of refugees on the Thailand-Burma border.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £7.5 million between 2009 and 2012 for people affected by conflict in eastern Burma. This assistance is being delivered through a number of non-governmental organisations. It includes the provision of food, shelter and improved access to legal assistance for Burmese refugees in Thailand, as well as aid for health care, water, sanitation and food security for displaced people in eastern Burma. DFID has not been asked for additional funding in response to the most recent fighting.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: EU Aid

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on financial contributions to Afghanistan from the EU.

Alistair Burt: I have regular conversations with my EU colleagues on Afghanistan through the Foreign Affairs Council which discuss the strategic direction of Afghanistan. The allocation of funding is made via the Development Cooperation Instrument and the UK has lobbied successfully for Afghanistan to get a greater share of EU financial assistance to Asia. At the recent mid-term review the allocation was increased from €150 million per year during 2001-10 to €200 million per year for 2011-2013. We are encouraging the EU to ensure its engagement in Afghanistan is co-ordinated and targeted, by following an accelerated EU action plan.

British Overseas Territories: Remembrance Day

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason he lays a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday on behalf of the British Overseas Territories; and what recent consideration he has given to the merits of permitting representatives of each such territory to lay a wreath.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs lays a wreath on behalf of all the British Overseas Territories to recognise the contribution and sacrifice made by citizens of the Overseas Territories during times of conflict. We have received representations from the UK-based representatives of the Overseas Territories to allow them to lay a wreath, but have no plans to change the current arrangements.

Burma: Politics and Government

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the new constitution in Burma for  (a) democracy,  (b) human rights and  (c) equal rights for the ethnic nationalities in that country.

David Lidington: The new Constitution was approved in a rigged referendum in May 2008. We believe it entrenches military rule, as demonstrated by the sham elections held on 7 November; permits the regime's continuing human rights abuses against the Burmese people, including the political, social and economic discrimination suffered by ethnic groups; and provides the military leadership with immunity from prosecution for past crimes and human rights abuses. In addition, the President can grant sweeping powers to the military if a state of emergency is declared, reinstating military control of the country and suspending the rights of its citizens.
	The UK has worked to secure a UN General Assembly Resolution which calls on the Burmese authorities to undertake a transparent, inclusive and comprehensive review of the Constitution. This was adopted with a vote on 18 November.

Burma: Thailand

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking in response to the recent increased conflict on the Thailand-Burma border and the creation of a border guard force under the control of the Burma army.

David Lidington: The Government are concerned about the refugee situation on the Thai-Burma border and is monitoring developments closely. We are in touch with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and our ambassador to Thailand raised the issue with the Thai authorities on 18 November.
	We understand that many of the ethnic ceasefire and non-ceasefire groups have refused to join the Border Guard Force proposed by the military regime and that this is a source of ongoing tension. We are clear that the regime's pursuit of military solutions rather than a political settlement with ethnic groups will not bring stability. Elections held on 7 November represent a missed opportunity to unite armed and non-armed ethnic groups in a just peace settlement. There is little prospect of national reconciliation without their involvement.

Cuba: EU External Relations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the EU common position on Cuba; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: UK and EU policy on Cuba is based on the 1996 EU Common Position. The UK and the EU follow the situation in Cuba closely and our policy is kept under constant review. There have been a number of changes in recent years such as the resumption of EU development co-operation and the start of an EU-Cuba political dialogue. Given the ongoing release of political prisoners in Cuba the EU has, with UK support, begun a process of reflection about future options for the EU-Cuba relationship.

Cuba: EU External Relations

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on UK policy on the EU common position on Cuba.

Jeremy Browne: We have received no formal representations on the EU Common Position, which is the basis of UK policy on Cuba. We regularly reply to public inquiries, including from non-governmental organisations, trades unions and business groups, about the Common Position. EU policy on Cuba, including the Common Position, is kept under constant review.

Cyprus: Christianity

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of  (a) Northern Cyprus and  (b) Turkey on the destruction of Christian religious sites and buildings in Northern Cyprus.

David Lidington: The Government strongly believe that the respect for religious and cultural buildings is a key element in building trust between different communities. Therefore it supports the need for greater preservation of churches and other buildings of religious and cultural heritage in northern Cyprus. British diplomats in Nicosia have raised these issues at various levels including with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community.
	We also support the work of the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage who have developed an action plan to protect vulnerable buildings. They have already started work on some projects and hope, with further funding, to soon be able to implement more of their plan.

Developing Countries: Departmental Coordination

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which units in his Department staff participating in the cross-Government board to deal with conflict overseas will be drawn.

Henry Bellingham: The Strategic Defence and Security Review of October 2010 confirmed the Government's commitment to building stability overseas through preventing conflict and identifying and tackling emerging threats including from fragile and conflict-affected states. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, in partnership with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development, is leading work to develop a new Building Stability Overseas Strategy, to be published in spring 2011. This will set out am integrated approach to building stability overseas, bringing together diplomatic, development, military and other national security tools. The architecture, including the cross-government board, to support the delivery of the strategy is currently being considered.

Government Hospitality Fund

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the Government Hospitality Fund spent on the purchase of  (a) champagne and  (b) other wines in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Henry Bellingham: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock) on 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 228W. Of the amounts stated, £27,136 was spent on champagne in 2008-09, which was reduced to £9,070 in 2009-10. No champagne has been purchased this financial year.

Guatemala

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Minister of State with responsibilities for Latin America plans to meet  (a) female representatives of indigenous communities and  (b) representatives of human rights organisations during his visit to Guatemala.

Henry Bellingham: One of the UK's top priorities in Guatemala is to support good governance and human rights-key to improving the deteriorating security situation in the country. During my hon. Friend Jeremy Browne's short visit to Guatemala he will meet civil society organisations and young leaders-including young indigenous women-during an event to promote a national campaign against domestic violence which the UK is actively supporting.
	He will not have a separate meeting with representatives of human rights organisations on this occasion, but he will be raising human rights issues with the Guatemalan Government, and separately our embassy in Guatemala City and officials in London will continue to maintain good contacts with these groups.

Iraq: Asylum

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the proportion of Iraqi citizens from Christian or Mandaean communities who have become refugees in countries neighbouring Iraq since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

Alistair Burt: Figures released by the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, estimate that there are currently 23,373 Iraqi Christians living as refugees in the region surrounding Iraq. The number of Sabean/Mandean refugees currently stands at 5,460.
	If Iraqi refugees are divided into their religious groups, the Christian minority is the third largest, at 12% of the total. Sunni and Shia Iraq refugees still constitute the most numerous groups.

Iraq: Asylum

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqi citizens who have become refugees in countries neighbouring Iraq since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

Alistair Burt: The total number of Iraqi refugees registered with the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), currently stands at 423,355 people, including 72,295 refugees who arrived in 2006 and before. There are approximately 195,428 Iraq refugees in the region, which covers the main countries of asylum: Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iran.
	UNHCR figures indicate that there are currently 139,586 Iraq refugees living in Syria; 3,623 in Iran; 30,630 in Jordan; 7,955 in Lebanon; and 5,235 in Turkey.

Iraq: Asylum

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of Iraqi citizens who have become refugees in Syria since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

Alistair Burt: The UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has registered over 290,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria since the start of the Iraq War in 2003. Some have since been officially resettled. Others departed to third countries by other means and some have decided to return to Iraq.
	As of the end October 2010, the population of registered Iraqi refugees in Syria stands at 139,586 following UNHCR Syria's revision of its figure for the number of registered Iraqi refugees in Syria. This is based on the verification of their physical presence in Syria throughout 2009 and 2010.

Iraq: Asylum

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the proportion of Iraqi citizens from Christian or Mandaean communities who have become refugees in Syria since the start of the war in Iraq in 2003.

Alistair Burt: Figures released by the UN Refugee Agency, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, estimate that there are currently 15,362 Iraqi Christians living as refugees in Syria. The number of Sabean/Mandean refugees in Syria currently stands at 5,113.
	There are currently 139,586 Iraqi refugees registered in Syria.

Sergei Magnitsky

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he had discussions with the Russian government on the case of Sergei Magnitsky during his recent visit to Moscow.

David Lidington: The Government continue to follow Mr Magnitsky's case closely. We have welcomed the official investigation into this case announced by President Medvedev in November 2009, and keenly await its conclusion. We believe it is important that this investigation is thorough and transparent. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have also consistently made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about this case, as part of our continuing bilateral human rights dialogue with Russia.
	In his recent meetings with the Russian government in Moscow, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised issues relating to the rule of law and human rights more generally, stressing how important it is that the law is applied fairly in all cases. He also held more specific discussions on this particular case during his meeting with Russian human rights non-governmental organisations.

Sergei Magnitsky

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Russian Government on the death in custody of Sergei Magnitsky.

David Lidington: The Government continue to follow Mr Magnitsky's case closely. We have welcomed the official investigation into this case announced by President Medvedev in November 2009, and keenly await its conclusion. We believe it is important that this investigation is thorough and transparent. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have also consistently made clear to the Russian Government our concerns about this case, as part of our continuing bilateral human rights dialogue with Russia.
	In his recent meetings with the Russian Government in Moscow, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised issues relating to the rule of law and human rights more generally, stressing how important it is that the law is applied fairly in all cases. He also held more specific discussions on this particular case during his meeting with Russian human rights non-governmental organisations.

Taiwan: Carbon Emissions

Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department is having with the Government of Taiwan on the transition to low carbon emissions.

Henry Bellingham: We have regular exchanges with the Taiwanese authorities about low carbon development. In October 2010, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials visited Taipei to discuss the UK policy framework. The British Trade and Cultural Office Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs also co-hosted a renewable-energy seminar focusing on offshore wind power and marine energy. Taiwan's shift towards a greener economy is gaining momentum and we are actively supporting this transition.

Turkmenistan: Prisoners

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the BBC on the detention of journalists Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev in Turkmenistan.

David Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the British Broadcasting Corporation on the detention of Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev in Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan: Prisoners

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the BBC Director General about the custodial conditions of journalists Annakurban Amanklychev and Sapardurdy Khadzhiev detained in Turkmenistan.

David Lidington: We have no plans to discuss this matter with the Director General of the British Broadcasting Corporation. We will, however, continue to raise these cases with the Turkmen authorities, including through the European Union.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Press

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much was spent on press cuttings services for the Prime Minister's Office in each of the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office spend on press cuttings and other related services in the last six months of the 2009-10 financial year was £120,863.10. The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the CO, and as such the figure provided also includes the amount spent by the Prime Minister's Office.
	Figures for the current financial year will be available only when the Department's resource accounts have been fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2011 summer recess.

Unemployment

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children in  (a) England,  (b) Norfolk and  (c) Great Yarmouth constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children in (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) Great Yarmouth constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. 24686.
	The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. The attached table shows estimates for England and Norfolk. The table provides information for 2005 to 2009.
	Due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for the Great Yarmouth constituency because of small sample sizes.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the true value for 95% of all possible samples.
	
		
			  Children( 1)  living in families with no parent in employment in England and Norfolk 
			  Thousand 
			Estimate  Lower bound( 2)  Upper bound( 2) 
			 England January to December 2005 1,630 1,582 1,678 
			  January to December 2006 1,645 1,596 1,693 
			  January to December 2007 1,613 1,564 1,662 
			  January to December 2008 1,670 1,620 1,721 
			  January to December 2009 1,707 1,655 1,759 
			  
			 Norfolk January to December 2005 24 16 31 
			  January to December 2006 20 13 28 
			  January to December 2007 (3)- (3)- (3)- 
			  January to December 2008 22 15 29 
			  January to December 2009 (3)- (3)- (3)- 
			 (1 )Children refers to children under 16. (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95% certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds. (3) Estimates are considered unreliable for practical purposes. This is because of small sample sizes.  Source: APS household dataset

Unemployment

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many children in  (a) England,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking how many children in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency were living in families with no parent in employment between January 2005 and January 2010. (25361)
	The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. These are currently available for 2004 to 2009. The attached table shows estimates for England and Lancashire. The table provides information for 2005 to 2009.
	Due to the specific nature of your request it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for Rossendale and Darwen constituency because of small sample sizes.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. This is captured in a confidence interval, defined by lower and upper bounds, such that the interval formed between the bounds would contain the true value for 95% of all possible samples.
	
		
			  Children( 1)  living in families with no parent in employment in England and Lancashire 
			  Thousand 
			Estimate  Lower bound( 2)  Upper bound( 2) 
			 England January to December 2005 1,630 1,582 1,678 
			  January to December 2006 1,645 1,596 1,693 
			  January to December 2007 1,613 1,564 1,662 
			  January to December 2008 1,670 1,620 1,721 
			  January to December 2009 1,707 1,655 1,759 
			  
			 Lancashire January to December 2005 50 40 59 
			  January to December 2006 51 42 60 
			  January to December 2007 50 41 60 
			  January to December 2008 47 38 57 
			  January to December 2009 45 35 54 
			 (1) Children refers to children under 16.  (2) 95% confidence interval which means that from all samples possible there would be 95% certainty that the true estimate would lie within the lower and upper bounds.   Source:  APS household dataset.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to increase the quality of provision for adult education.

John Hayes: The recently published skills strategy ('Skills for Sustainable Growth') sets out our intention to reform adult learning and skills over the remainder of this Parliament and point the way to growth in the longer term. High quality adult education is at the heart of this strategy.
	An underpinning principle of the strategy is freedom. Our ambition is to abandon a culture of bureaucratic, central, regulatory burdens, as we believe that control should be devolved from central Government to citizens and communities. This includes giving them a greater role in shaping services and improving quality. Through a combination of increasing competition between training providers; empowering learners by giving them better information about quality of adult education; and by tackling poor performance quickly and robustly, we will drive up standards.
	We are taking steps to improve the quality and range of information that is made available about adult education-including through the Next Step and development of sector led Further Education Public Information. This will ensure that learners and employers are better equipped to makes choices about where and what to learn. We are also improving opportunities for learners and employers to give feedback, which we expect providers themselves will use to improve the quality of the education and services they deliver. This user choice and influence will become a powerful mechanism for driving up quality.
	Alongside our move towards greater empowerment, we will continue to take steps through the Department and the Skills Funding Agency to improve quality.
	The Skills Funding Agency is committed to only contracting with high quality educational and vocational training providers. To this end, the Agency has recently introduced an Approved College and Training Organisation Register (ACTOR), which tests the capacity and capability of organisations to meet 'minimum levels of performance' that are set by this Department (in agreement with sector representative organisations). All providers that wish to be considered for public funding from the agency, for the delivery of educational and vocational training, must be approved on ACTOR. Those organisations that fail to meet the required standards will not be registered and therefore will be ineligible for funding.
	Where a provider is on ACTOR and has received funding and their performance subsequently drops, we will act decisively. If they fail to respond to opportunities to improve, we will withdraw a contract from any private training provider (and remove them from ACTOR) and we will close failing colleges. In order to protect the interests of the learners, we will ensure that alternative provision is secured through an excellent education provider. We will publish further details on this approach in spring 2011.
	Ofsted will continue to inspect adult learning provision, although we are taking a more proportionate approach to inspections. Any provider who is deemed to be 'outstanding' will not be inspected (unless their performance drops). This will allow Ofsted to focus their attention on providers who cause concern, which improves our capacity to identify and tackle poor performance and quality.
	We will also continue to support measures to ensure we have a professionally-qualified teaching workforce, which takes responsibility for keeping its skills up-to-date and relevant. We intend to work with the teaching profession to look at how to create the conditions to encourage flexible and innovative approaches to teaching and learning, which are cost-effective, responsive to employer and learner needs, and make full use of the potential of technology. In specialist areas of provision, employer-led National Skills Academies can help spread good practice. This will support our drive to improve the learning experience.
	Finally, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service will from April 2011 be the single sector led body responsible for supporting FE colleges and training organisations to maintain high quality in areas such as leadership and management, teaching and learning, learner support and resource utilisation.

Apprentices

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to implement the pilots proposed in his Department's 2007 Apprenticeship strategy to encourage under-represented women apprentices into traditionally higher paid sectors.

John Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service is currently finalising its negotiations to fund 16 Diversity in Apprenticeships pilots. It is hoped that the pilots will start early in 2011. We expect them to support approximately 5,000 apprenticeship opportunities for under represented learners, including women in atypical sectors. The learning from these pilots will be used to influence the wider programme.

Digital Inclusion Task Force

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent assessment is of progress made by the Digital Inclusion Task Force; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The Digital Inclusion Task Force was set up in 2009 to support Martha Lane Fox, the then Champion for Digital Inclusion.
	The Digital Inclusion Taskforce was disbanded in February 2010 in order that Martha and her team could focus on their Race Online 2012 partnership campaign. However, several members of the Task Force are still involved in supporting Martha in her new role as UK Digital Champion.
	Martha Lane Fox launched her Race Online 2012 partnership campaign which encourages business partners to train, educate and inspire people to use the web in April 2010. Race Online 2012 currently has over 880 partners who have pledged to help 1.7 million new people get online by the end of the Olympic year. More details of the partnership campaign can be found at:
	www.raceonline2012.org

Festivals and Special Occasions: Public Holidays

Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will being forward proposals for a public holiday on the occasion of the marriage of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton.

Edward Davey: The royal wedding will take place on 29 April and the Prime Minister has already announced that it will be a bank holiday.

Higher Education: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the local economy of the student population attending university in Coventry.

David Willetts: holding answer 19 November 2010
	 No recent assessment has been made on the effects on the local economy of the student population attending university in Coventry.
	However a report produced by Universities UK indicate that
	"Total output generated by the 169 UK Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) was estimated as £59 billion in 2007/08 (£14 billion more than a similar study in 2003/04). HEIs create directly and indirectly around 670,000 jobs and create export earnings worth £5.3 billion".
	The report is available at
	http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/Publications/Pages/ImpactOfUniversities4.aspx

Higher Education: Finance

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from the public purse was spent on higher education in  (a) England,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) Rossendale and Darwen constituency in each year from January 2005 to January 2010.

David Willetts: The Department does not hold a consistent data set on which to give a global answer for the whole of higher education (HE) spend. We do have information covering the three main elements of Government funding to HE.
	 Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grants
	
		
			  Financial year  Total HEFCE grant (£000) 
			 2005-06 6,697,186 
			 2006-07 7,014,360 
			 2007-08 7,413,454 
			 2008-09 7,506,778 
			 2009-10 7,955,120 
			  Source: HEFCE Annual Reports 
		
	
	The following institutions in Lancashire received direct HEFCE funding in the period concerned:
	
		
			   FY 2010-11 (£) 
			  Edge Hill University  
			 2005-06 20,540,557 
			 2006-07 26,144,373 
			 2007-08 24,227,304 
			 2008-09 28,493,754 
			 2009-10 30,190,934 
			 2010-11 27,559,294 
			   
			  Accrington and Rossendale College  
			 2005-06 855,129 
			 2006-07 782,814 
			 2007-08 717,220 
			 2008-09 668,829 
			 2009-10 750,399 
			 2010-11 811,238 
			   
			  Blackburn College  
			 2005-06 5,349,080 
			 2006-07 7,697,945 
			 2007-08 7,914,172 
			 2008-09 8,786,434 
			 2009-10 10,587,402 
			 2010-11 10,806,350 
			   
			  Lancaster University  
			 2005-06 49,959,815 
			 2006-07 61,091,660 
			 2007-08 53,743,843 
			 2008-09 61,198,766 
			 2009-10 60,933,748 
			 2010-11 48,909,854 
			   
			  Blackpool and the Fylde College  
			 2005-06 6,365,608 
			 2006-07 6,340,867 
			 2007-08 7,451,150 
			 2008-09 8,254,848 
			 2009-10 9,137,212 
			 2010-11 8,987,927 
			   
			  University of Central Lancashire  
			 2005-06 74,950,992 
			 2006-07 76,665,491 
			 2007-08 74,667,405 
			 2008-09 84,944,079 
			 2009-10 84,145,290 
			 2010-11 85,475,540 
		
	
	HEFCE cannot identify funding for indirectly-funded further education colleges separately. The amount of funding they receive will depend on locally-negotiated agreements with partner higher education institutions (HEIs).
	 Science and research
	The following table gives spend on science and research spend through Research Councils to HEIs. Three HEIs in Lancashire are eligible for this funding. It does not include research spend by other Government Departments or research funding awarded by HEFCE which is included in the above figures. No expenditure can be identified as spent in Rossendale and Darwen constituency.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year:  2004-5  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 C Lanes 505 432 677 891 1,093 
			 Edge Hill 2 10 11 74 163 
			 Lancaster 9,626 9,887 10,779 12,912 13,955 
			 UK 919,739 1,064,418 1,151,979 1,358,179 1,531,128 
		
	
	 Student support paid( 1)  England and Lancashire
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Academic year  England  Lancashire 
			 2004/05 2,577.7 61.6 
			 2005/06 2,835.7 66.7 
			 2006/07 4,057.0 96.4 
			 2007/08 4,931.4 116.5 
			 2008/09 5,930.8 140.6 
			 ( 1) Loans, grants and allowances paid to students domiciled in England and studying in the UK. Excludes the tuition fee grants phased out after 2005/06 and part-time fee grants. Includes part-time course grants.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Student support spend figures include the cash value of loans paid. This does not represent the long-term cost to public funds as loans will be repaid. Complete figures are not yet available after academic year 2008/09. Robust student support figures are not available at constituency level.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the appropriate number of members of the board of a local enterprise partnership.

Mark Prisk: No Government expectations have been set out regarding the number of board members. The Government will normally expect to see business representatives form half the board, with a prominent business leader in the chair as explained in the White Paper on Local Growth.

Trading Standards

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of local authorities provided returns to Trading Standards in accordance with the Hallmarking Act 1973 in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: There is no requirement under the Hallmarking Act 1973 for local authority trading standards departments to submit a return on their enforcement activities under the Act. However, local authorities voluntarily submit an annual return on such activities to the Trading Standards Institute (TSI). TSI provide a summary of these to the British Hallmarking Council who publish this in their annual report. Using these figures, the proportion of local authorities providing returns to the TSI are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2005 73 
			 2006 52 
			 2007 37 
			 2008 43 
			 2009 59

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC: Directors

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent meetings special advisers in his Department have had with the director-general of the BBC; and whether pensions were discussed at those meetings.

Edward Vaizey: There have been no meetings between special advisers in the Department and the director-general of the BBC, Mark Thompson, since the terms of the licence fee agreement were settled on 18 and 19 October. The cost of BBC pensions was referred to in discussing the settlement.

British Film Institute: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what conditions are attached to the annual grant in aid funding awarded to the British Film Institute (BFI) to support British film makers and the British film industry; and if he will take steps to ensure that the activities of the BFI which are funded by this grant in aid positively discriminate in favour of promoting, exhibiting and supporting British contemporary film and British film makers.

Edward Vaizey: The BFI currently has a funding agreement with the UK Film Council, but this will change when the UKFC is abolished as DCMS is currently progressing plans to set up a more direct relationship with BFI. BFI's current strategic objectives are:
	(i) to secure the National Film Archive to ensure that the Collections are safe for future generations;
	(ii) to evolve a digital hub for access to its collections by the public;
	(iii) to sustain an international focus for film exhibition, through the BFI Southbank, the London Film Festival and through mediatheques and other exhibition partnerships across the UK; and
	(iv) to ensure the widest diversity of film and knowledge about film is available to everyone in the UK.
	The remit to support British film makers and the British film industry currently sits with the UK Film Council through the film lottery fund. The responsibility for the distribution of these funds, following the abolition of the UKFC, will be transferred to an existing body. Details of who the new distributor will be are to be announced later this month.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the monetary value was of contracts between his Department and  (a) Post Office Ltd and  (b) Royal Mail in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) each year since 2004-05;
	(2)  what services provided by his Department were the subject of a contract with Post Office Ltd in 1997-98 and have subsequently become the subject of a contract with another supplier; and what the monetary value was of each such contract in  (a) 1997-98 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available in each case;
	(3)  which services of his Department have been the subject of a contract awarded in a tender process in which Post Office Ltd submitted a bid since 1997-98;
	(4)  what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network.

Edward Vaizey: Since 1997-98, the Department has had no formal contracts with the Post Office or Royal Mail, and no contracts have been let in which Post Office Ltd submitted a bid.

English Heritage

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many submissions each regional office of English Heritage has made to local planning authorities at the planning application stage in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much English Heritage spent on preparing its report on the economic impact of heritage in Yorkshire and the Humber;
	(3)  how much English Heritage spent on research into the thermal performance of traditional sash windows for the purposes of its report on Sash Windows: Why They Are Worth Keeping;
	(4)  how much English Heritage spent on  (a) press,  (b) publicity,  (c) marketing and  (d) communications in each of the last five years;
	(5)  how much English Heritage spent on  (a) entertainment,  (b) accommodation and  (c) subsistence in each of the last five years.

John Penrose: The information requested is not held by the Department and relates to matters that are the responsibility of English Heritage.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of English Heritage to write direct to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Music: Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on extending copyright for musicians' works from 50 to 75 years.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 November 2010,  Official Report, column 889W. No discussions of the kind referred to have taken place.

Ofcom: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what  (a) discussions and  (b) correspondence he had with the Secretary of State for Scotland prior to the Government's decision not to accept the recommendation by Ofcom that Scottish Television should be classified as a qualified independent producer.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport is in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Scotland on a range of matters important to Scotland.

Television: East Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to improve the quality of television reception in East Sussex.

Edward Vaizey: As the independent regulator for the communications industry, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring broadcasters comply with their licence conditions in areas such as transmission coverage and reception.
	I have therefore asked Ofcom's chief executive to consider the question raised by the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown and to write to him direct.

Television: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consultation his Department had with  (a) Scottish Television,  (b) Scottish Enterprise,  (c) trade unions in Scotland and  (d) the broadcasting industry in Scotland prior to the Government's decision not to accept the recommendation by Ofcom that Scottish Television should be classified as a qualified independent producer.

Edward Vaizey: The Department held a public consultation from 4 November 2009 to 2 February 2010 on the potential reclassification of production companies owned by Channel 3 licence holders. Responses were received from these organisations:
	Bees Nees
	Caledonia TV
	Channel 4
	Comedy Unit
	Eyeline Media
	Finestripe Productions
	ITV
	IWC Media
	La Belle Allee Productions Ltd
	Lion Television
	Mac TV
	Mallinson Sadler Productions
	Matchlight Limited
	Michael Darlow
	Mike Bolland
	Ofcom
	PACT
	Scottish Screen
	Scottish Government
	Skyline Productions Ltd
	STV
	Tattiemoon
	Tern TV
	True TV and Film Ltd
	Turmeric Media
	UKTV
	Ulan Productions
	UTV
	Visible Ink Television

HEALTH

Air Pollution: Biomass

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effects on  (a) mortality and  (b) morbidity of air quality pollutants emitted by biomass plants in the UK.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	Biomass plants emit, in particular, fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxides. No estimates of current mortality, or morbidity, specifically resulting from emissions from these plants in the UK, have been made.
	A general assessment of the health impacts of PM2.5, based on 2008 air quality data, estimated that man made emissions of PM2.5 reduced the average life expectancy of people living in the UK by 6 months at an annual cost of £15 billion within the range of £8 to £17 billion. Biomass combustion in 2008 was estimated to emit 7.6% of the UK total PM2.5 emissions.

Autism: Health Services

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism he plans to put in place to ensure adequate healthcare support for people with autism when they enter adulthood.

Paul Burstow: Effective transition planning that supports young people with autism into adulthood is one of the key aims of the autism strategy, 'Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives', and is also addressed in the draft statutory guidance recently consulted on.
	Currently, those who do not have a statement of special educational needs have access to a health action plan that covers medical management of their condition and strategies to enable self-care and independent living.
	The Department has also invested £500,000 to develop materials and resources to improve awareness and training on autism for health and social care professionals to enable front-line staff to better provide services for people with autism, including those in transition.

Benzodiazepines and Tranquillisers

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) in-patients and  (b) prisoners received prescriptions for (i) benzodiazepine and (ii) Z drug tranquilisers in each of the last three years.

Simon Burns: Information on the number of in-patients or prisoners prescribed a particular medicine or class of medicine is not collected centrally, nor are data held relating to the number of prescription items dispensed in hospitals or prisons.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he issues guidance to NHS organisations on requests made by  (a) care homes and  (b) primary care trusts to the relatives of patients on top-up financing.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not issue such guidance to national health service organisations.
	The Department issues guidance to local authorities on top-up fees for local-authority-supported residential care in Local Authority Circular (2004) 20. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost per resident per week of residential care in local authority-owned care homes in  (a) Hampshire and  (b) Southampton in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: Data on local authority expenditure and unit costs on state-funded social care for 2008-09 were collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	We are informed by the Information Centre that, in 2008-09, the average cost per resident per week of residential care in local authority owned residential care homes was £894 in Hampshire and £928 in Southampton.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of regional variations in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Simon Burns: General practitioners (GPs) gather data on the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. This means that data on recorded COPD prevalence are available for each GP practice, as well as for larger geographic areas such as primary care trust and strategic health authority (SHA). The raw data for 2008-09 are publicly available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/supporting-information/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework/qof-2008/09/data-tables/prevalence-data-tables
	The Consultation document on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England contains an estimate of all COPD prevalence (including unrecorded prevalence), but this estimate has not currently been disaggregated by region.
	The Department has appointed respiratory clinical leads in each of the 10 SHAs in England and they have been provided with some benchmarking data. Part of the responsibility of these posts is to champion the reduction of any regional variation through local action, leading to improved patient outcomes at reduced cost to the national health service.
	The Department has also funded a programme of work with NHS Improvement and with each SHA aimed at improving patient outcomes at reduced cost to the NHS, which should also reduce regional variation in the provision of services for COPD.

Cumberland Infirmary: Costs

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the capital cost of the Cumberland Infirmary, Cumbria.

Simon Burns: In 1997, approval was given to a scheme involving the development of the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle through the private finance initiative (PFI). At financial close on 3 November 1997 this PFI scheme was approved at £67 million.

Departmental Food

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has guidelines on ensuring that food used for his Department's official functions is of domestic origin.

Simon Burns: The legal framework governing public procurement is designed to ensure that public procurement is fair, transparent and not used to discriminate by setting up barriers to free trade.
	This means that public sector buyers cannot restrict their purchases to specific locations or suppliers, as this would discriminate against producers from further away and, also, reduce competition contrary to United Kingdom public procurement policy that is designed to achieve better value for money for the taxpayer.
	Quadrant Catering provides the staff restaurant and hospitality catering at the Department of Health sites in London and Eurest Services provides the same services to Department of Work and Pensions, which includes the Quarry House site in Leeds where some Department of Health employees are based. Both Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services are part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, one of the UK's largest contract caterers.
	The current catering and hospitality offer to the Department is based around healthier eating choices, although Compass Group UK and Ireland has a strong commitment to sourcing British produce as part of their corporate responsibility framework.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible usbspent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Simon Burns: The Department sources its national press cuttings service via a framework agreement used by various Government Departments. Daily cuttings from the national press have been provided by Precise Media since 1 July 2007.
	Prior to April 2010, regional press cuttings were sourced from Kantar Media Intelligence (formally known as TNS Media Intelligence) via a rolling agreement. Since April 2010, the regional press cuttings service has been provided by Precise Media.
	The amount the Department has spent on both national and regional cuttings for each of the 12 months is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Department of Health  Monthly expenditure on press cuttings Services( 1 ) (£) 
			 November 2009 16,591.42 
			 December 2009 9,108.57 
			 January 2010 9,837.85 
			 February 2010 7,922.94 
			 March 2010 15,809.35 
			 April 2010 11,948.37 
			 May 2010 10,093.69 
			 June 2010 9,301.29 
			 July 2010 8,509.91 
			 August 2010 7,571.22 
			 September 2010 6,912.60 
			 October 2010 n/a 
			 Total 113,607.23 
			 n/a = not available (1) All figures provided are exclusive of valued added tax (VAT) and are based on invoice date rather than payment date. 
		
	
	Information on the amount spent on press cuttings services incurred by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the delivery of drug treatment services under his proposals for a public health service.

Anne Milton: We will publish proposals for helping people to recover from drug dependence and reducing the harms that drugs cause in our forthcoming Public Health White Paper, and Drugs strategy.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local investment in drug treatment services is maintained.

Anne Milton: Drug treatment services are commissioned by local partnerships of health, criminal justice and social care services, they fund drug treatment services from the centrally allocated Pooled Treatment Budget and their own funding sources. In 2010-11 around £200 million was allocated for drug treatment from local mainstream resources.
	Oversight of the adequacy of spending to meet locally identified need is part of the role of the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to the pooled treatment budget for the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in  (a) each of the last five years and  (b) each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

Anne Milton: Direct central Government funding for community drug treatment is allocated through the pooled treatment budget (PTB).
	For the past five years funding was allocated as follows:
	
		
			   Adult  Young people (£ million)  Total (£ million) 
			 2006-07 360.0 24.6 384.6 
			 2007-08 373.3 24.7 398 
			 2008-09 373.3 24.7 398 
			 2009-10 381.3 24.7 406 
			 2010-11 381.3 25.4 406.7 
		
	
	Central Government funding allocations for drug treatment in the next five years are yet to be agreed.

Food Standards Agency: Local Government

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of local authorities provided data to the Food Standards Agency for its survey on  (a) imported foods return and  (b) melamine testing results.

Anne Milton: Imported foods are checked by local authorities at the point of entry (sea and air ports) to the United Kingdom. 26 ports made an imported food return to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) through the Local Authority Enforcement Monitoring System. These ports received a total of 417,867 consignments of both animal and non-animal origin food.
	Reports have been provided by local authorities at four ports on melamine testing at point of entry. The FSA has received a further nine returns from in-land local authorities sampling for melamine. No results gave rise to any cause for concern.

General Practitioners: Lancashire

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were seen by out-of-hours services in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) Rossendale and Darwen constituency in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, my hon. Friend may wish to contact each primary care trust direct for more information.

Health: Males

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to assist GP consortia in commissioning health services to address poor health among men.

Simon Burns: Consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices working with other health and care professionals will commission the great majority of national health service services for their patients. To support GP consortia in their commissioning decisions, we will create an independent NHS Commissioning Board. The board will provide leadership for quality improvement through commissioning. This will include setting commissioning guidelines on the basis of clinically approved quality standards developed with advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, in a way that promotes joint working across health, public health and social care.
	Consortia will not be responsible for commissioning primary medical services, which will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board, but consortia will become increasingly influential in driving up the quality of general practice. The NHS Commissioning Board will also commission the other family health services of dentistry, community pharmacy and primary ophthalmic services, as well as national and regional specialised services and prison health services, but with the influence and involvement of consortia.
	The NHS Commissioning Board, supported by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, will develop a commissioning outcomes framework so that there is clear, publicly available information on the quality of healthcare services commissioned by consortia, including patient experience, and their management of NHS resources. It would include measures to reflect the consortium's duties to promote equality and to assess progress in reducing health inequalities.

Health: Males

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps on public health he plans to take to reduce the mortality rate among men.

Anne Milton: We will publish a White Paper on public health later this year. This will set out the Government's plans for establishing a public health service and will also map a cross-Government strategy on public health that will be taken forward in the future.

Hemofil T: Clinical Trials

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients on the Hemofil T trial was classified as  (a) mild,  (b) moderate and  (c) severe haemophiliac.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold this information. Hemofil T was a commercial product, so the clinical trials would have been conducted by the manufacturer Hyland-Travenol (now Baxter Healthcare).

HIV Infection: Health Services

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has for HIV and sexual health services under his proposals for a public health service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects of proposed reforms to the NHS on the commissioning of HIV services;
	(3)  with reference to the White Paper, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, whether HIV services will be commissioned by the National Commissioning Board or by GP consortia from 2013;
	(4)  whether the public health White Paper will include proposals to reduce the incidence of HIV.

Anne Milton: Later this year we will publish the public health White Paper which will set out the design of the new public health service for England. Consultation documents accompanying the White Paper will set out the proposed funding and commissioning routes for public health services, including proposals about how sexual health services might best be commissioned. The Department is also considering options for commissioning HIV treatment and care services including through the National Commissioning Board.

Medical Treatments

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what processes will be put in place to ensure the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services will take account of new innovations in medical technology.

Simon Burns: The Advisory Group for National Specialised Services uses a decision making framework when considering applications for designation of services and treatments as part of the arrangements for the national commissioning of highly specialised services. Stimulating research and innovation is included in the decision making framework. A copy of the decision making framework is available at:
	www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/doc/decision-making-framework-making-recommendations-on-national-commissioning

Mental Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that mental health trusts are subject to the same financial penalties and governance measures for emergency readmissions as other NHS trusts.

Paul Burstow: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 264W, to the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch).

Mental Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of mental health in-patients  (a) are in single-sex wards and  (b) have access to segregated toilet or bathing facilities.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, every patient has the right to receive high quality care that is safe, effective and respects their privacy and dignity. This means providing a same-sex sleeping area, bathroom and toilet facilities. In a mental health environment, accommodation should always be same sex.
	The only acceptable justification for admitting a mental health patient to mixed-sex accommodation is in the event of a clinical emergency and this must be to an en-suite room. In such cases, a full risk-assessment must be carried out and complete safety, privacy and dignity maintained.

Mental Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to people with severe depression or anxiety; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme is three years into a six-year nationwide roll-out. IAPT services are expected to be available to approximately 60% of the population by the end of March 2011. The services have already brought well over 77,000 people to recovery and 13,000 people treated have come off sick pay and benefits.
	The spending review settlement is expected to complete the roll-out, with special emphasis on ensuring more older people get access to therapy and broadening the benefits to children and young people, and individuals with long-term physical health conditions and those with severe and enduring mental illness.

Mental Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to enable people using mental health services to choose their provider; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: To fulfil a commitment in the White Paper, "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", we published a consultation document on Choice in the NHS on 18 October 2010. The document "Liberating the NHS: Greater choice and control. A consultation on proposals", a copy of which has been placed in the Library, and instructions on how to submit responses can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_119651
	There will be a presumption that everyone will have choice and control over their care and treatment, and choice of any willing provider, wherever relevant. The commitment for mental health is that the introduction of choice of treatment and provider in some mental health services will begin from April 2011, and that this be extended wherever practicable.

Midwives: Recruitment

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce his Department's plans to increase levels of midwife recruitment and retention.

Anne Milton: We will continue to train midwives at current rates and we are considering ways of helping improve midwife recruitment and retention. By 2013 (subject to levels of attrition), we expect up to 400 additional midwives per annum to be completing training and available to enter the work force.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the merits of making available treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency throughout the NHS;
	(2)  whether he plans to respond to the on-line petition on the Downing Street website on the lack of awareness of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will publish his Department's assessment of the merits of making available treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in NHS facilities.

Paul Burstow: There are various theories of causation of multiple sclerosis (MS), one of which is the chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCVSI) theory proposed by Dr Paolo Zamboni, a vascular surgeon in Bologna, Italy. He has suggested that MS is due to a narrowing or blockage of the veins that drain blood from the brain. The narrowing restricts the normal outflow of blood from the brain, causing alterations in the blood flow patterns within the brain that eventually causes injury to brain tissue and degeneration of neurons. Dr Zamboni believes that endovascular surgery can restore blood flow in these vessels, which lessens the symptoms of MS.
	Dr Zamboni's first study in a group of 65 MS patients and 235 controls used ultrasound to investigate a possible association between CCSVI and MS. The study showed that while non-MS patients had normal circulation in their veins, all of the MS patients had blockages. This led to a second phase of research, which looked at whether balloon angioplasty treatment, or stent placement, would improve the symptoms of MS in the group of 65 MS patients. Dr Zamboni reported various degrees of improvement in the group, mostly among patients with the relapsing-remitting form of MS who experienced fewer flare-ups of symptoms and some improvements in quality of life. The more pronounced secondary and primary progressive patients had limited improvement after six months, and none at 18 months.
	Neurologists have outlined a number of limitations to Dr Zamboni's studies. The ultrasound phase of the study did not have its findings confirmed by another lab. Also, Zamboni theorised that narrowing veins caused increased deposition of iron in the brain. Iron deposition occurs in different neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease but CCSVI was not seen in the control group with neurological problems. In the second phase of the study, there was no control group who did not get the surgery and whose outcomes could be compared to the patients that did. It was not a "blinded" trial so the patients, and their doctors, all knew they had received the procedure, opening up the possibility of placebo effect. All the patients continued to take disease-modifying drugs, making it difficult to separate out what, if anything, improved their condition.
	A larger, more recent, study at the University of Buffalo's Neuroimaging Analysis Centre looked at how often CCSVI occurs in people with MS and in people without MS. The study of 500 subjects showed that 56.4% of people with MS showed signs of CCSVI, while 26.4% of healthy test subjects also exhibited signs of CCSVI. The centre is in the process of recruiting for a placebo-controlled trial of intravascular treatment with angioplasty in 30 relapsing- remitting MS patients.
	Venous stenosis due to developmental abnormalities was established as the primary cause of CCSVI by the International Union of Phlebology in its consensus document (published 2009), which provided guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of venous malformations. MS campaigners have suggested that this means that CCSVI is almost certainly one of the causal factors of MS.
	Dr Zamboni's hypothesis has generated considerable optimism among people with MS for more effective treatment options. However, it has been received with caution by many experts, who find it relies on limited data to support claims that the syndrome actually exists; that it could be causative of (or a co-factor in) multiple sclerosis and that vascular treatments for the syndrome would prevent or reduce the incidence of multiple sclerosis. Larger clinical trials will be required before the theory is more widely accepted by the medical community (the Buffalo study organisers have said that CCSVI requires further investigation).
	In the meantime, the neurology community and MS organisations across the world are recommending that MS patients do not use the proposed treatment, until its effectiveness is confirmed by controlled studies.
	The overall future of all e-petitions is bound into the Martha Lane Fox review, which will be announced imminently. We continue to issue responses to petitions that had exceeded the 500 signature threshold as of 6 April 2010, when the e-petitions system was suspended ahead of the 2010 general election.
	The Department has made no assessment of the merits of making treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCVSI) throughout the national health service.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency for patients with multiple sclerosis; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much was spent on  (a) facilities,  (b) equipment and  (c) research relating to the treatment of multiple sclerosis in each of the last five years.

Paul Burstow: Information on the expenditure on facilities and equipment for multiple sclerosis is not collected. Expenditure on research for multiple sclerosis is given in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 0.8 
			 2006-07 0.01 
			 2007-08 0.8 
			 2008-09 1.8 
			 2009-10 2.1 
		
	
	We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency for patients with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which drugs were available in NHS facilities for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis in each of the last 10 years; and how much was spent on each type of drug in each such year.

Simon Burns: Drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis are classified in the British National Formulary (BNF), section 8.2.4 "Other immunomodulating drugs" and include interferon beta (1a and 1b), glatiramer acetate and natalizumab. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also licensed a herbal cannabis extract for the treatment of severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis in June 2010. Information on the use of these drugs in the community and in hospitals is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Community -N et ingredient cost (NIC) of prescription items written in the United Kingdom or the Isle of Man and dispensed in the community, in England( 1, 2) 
			  £000 
			   Herbal cannabis extract  Glatiramer acetate  Interferon beta (1a and 1 b)  Natalizumab  Total 
			 2000 - - 7,487.10 - 7,487.10 
			 2001 - 16.7 8,360.30 - 8,377.00 
			 2002 - 127.2 10,505.60 - 10,632.80 
			 2003 - 631.3 14,244.20 - 14,875.50 
			 2004 0.0 1,418.90 16,411.10 - 17,830.10 
			 2005 0.1 2,043.70 17,499.60 - 19,543.30 
			 2006 265.6 2,311.90 16,507.90 - 19,085.40 
			 2007 355.2 2,776.40 15,936.80 - 19,068.40 
			 2008 416.2 3,341.50 17,957.20 - 21,714.90 
			 2009 480.2 3,915.50 18,410.70 - 22,806.40 
			 (1) '-' Indicates there were no prescriptions dispensed in the community. (2) 0.0 indicates a NIC of less than £50.  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis system. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Hospital - Estimated cost of hospital usage in England( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) 
			  £000 
			   Natalizumab  Other drugs  Total 
			 2001 - 1,996.1 1,996.1 
			 2002 - 2,403.5 2,403.5 
			 2003 - 5,211.6 5,211.6 
			 2004 - 8,065.2 8,065.2 
			 2005 - 8,705.0 8,705.0 
			 2006 - 10,355.8 10,355.8 
			 2007 205.0 11,633.7 11,838.6 
			 2008 3,374.8 13,026.1 16,400.9 
			 2009 10,258.3 17,860.1 28,118.3 
			 (1 )Data on hospital use is not collected centrally by the national health service. However, the commercial company IMS Health collect data from a large sample of trusts and project these figures to give a national estimate. (2 )Figures are based on a sample and costed using standard price lists, either the Drug Tariff or, if the drug is not listed, the drug manufacturer's price list. The figures therefore do not necessarily represent the actual amounts paid by the hospitals. (3) Data includes all drugs dispensed in NHS hospital regardless of patient, so will include drugs dispensed to private patients in private wards within NHS hospitals as long as they have been dispensed via the hospital pharmacy. The extent of this varies from hospital to hospital. (4) Data are only held for complete years from 2001. (5) The agreement with IMS Health under which the Department receives the data requires that it is not released for individual drugs unless they have been positively appraised by the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence. Only natalizumab has been positively appraised, therefore combined figures for all the other drugs have been provided. (6) May exclude medicines supplied as part of homecare arrangements.  Source: IMS HEALTH: Hospital Pricing Audit Index database.

NHS Trusts: Private Finance Initiative

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many rebates were granted to each NHS trust by Private Finance Initiative contractors under the terms of their contracts in each of the last five years; what the monetary value of the rebate was in each case; and what loss of service gave rise to each rebate.

Simon Burns: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The National Audit Office (NAO) published a report in June 2010 entitled "The Performance and management of hospital PFI contracts" which includes information on payment deductions for failure to meet contractual standards. This can be found at:
	www.nao.org.uk/publications/1011/pfi_hospital_contracts.aspx

NHS: Negligence

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many compensation payments for clinical malpractice in each specialism including general practice were made by each primary care trust in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how much his Department has paid out in compensation payments for clinical malpractice in each specialism including general practice in respect of each primary care trust area in each year since 2000.

Simon Burns: The information requested was supplied by the NHS Litigation Authority and is in the document "Table of numbers of values of clinical negligence payments by primary care trusts from 2000 to 2010". A copy has been placed in the Library.

Nurses: Manpower

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to maintain the number of nursing staff.

Anne Milton: The precise numbers of national health service nurses required over the next five years will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	The Department has consulted on how the new organisations should be designed and is analysing responses. Information on how the new organisations should be designed will be announced in due course.
	The Government have fulfilled its commitment to give the NHS a real terms increase in funding each year. The demands on the service are rising and to meet these the NHS must make up to £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2014, by reducing bureaucracy and doing things differently. Every penny saved will be reinvested to support the delivery of quality healthcare.
	The NHS will release up to £20 billion of efficiency savings by 2014, which will be reinvested to support improvements in quality and outcomes. In addition, the Government will reduce NHS management costs by more than 45%, over the next four years, freeing up further resources for front-line care.

Prescription Drugs

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's cost per QALY threshold is when appraising drugs likely to be prescribed to fewer than 500 NHS patients; and what methodology was used to adjust the standard cost per QALY threshold to take account of the unique costs associated with the development of drugs for such patient numbers.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) does not operate a fixed cost per Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) threshold in developing its guidance. NICE's 'Guide to the methods of technology appraisal' explains how the cost per QALY is used by appraisal committees in the development of technology appraisal guidance and is available on the NICE website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/guidetothemethods oftechnologyappraisal.jsp?domedia=l&mid=B52851A3-19B9-0B5-D48284D172BD8459
	NICE also issued supplementary advice to its appraisal committees in 2009 to clarify the circumstances in which it might be appropriate to recommend potentially life-extending treatments licensed for terminal illnesses affecting small numbers of patients that would not normally be recommended through the application of NICE's standard technology appraisal methods. The supplementary advice is available on NICE'S website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/guidetothemethods oftechnologyappraisal.jsp?domedia=l&mid=88ACDAE5-19B9-E0B5-D422589714A8EC6D

Radiotherapy

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group to publish its report on Radiosurgery;
	(2)  when he expects the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence to review the use of cyberknife robotic technology.

Paul Burstow: It is anticipated that the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG) will publish its report into radiosurgery early next year.
	As part of the report, NRIG has been tasked with reviewing the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). NRIG has examined the SBRT technologies on the market, including Cyberknife, and the evidence base for clinical indications in order to produce guidance for the role of SBRT in cancer treatment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) plans to use the work of NRIG to identify whether there are any indications that would be appropriate for them to evaluate further via the Medical Technologies Advisory Committee or other programmes at NICE.

Social Services

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to assess the effectiveness of local arrangements to promote joint working between health and social care arising from the funding provided in the comprehensive spending review.

Paul Burstow: In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. As part of this, the national health service will transfer some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will rise to £1 billion in 2014-15, and will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems.
	Further details will be set out in the NHS Operating Framework 2011-12. £150 million in 2011-12 and £300 million in 2012-13 has been set aside for spending on re-ablement, which helps people to regain their independence after a crisis. For the remaining funding, we will set out specific allocations that they will transfer to local authorities for spending on social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. Primary care trusts and local authorities will need to work together to agree jointly appropriate areas for social care investment, with a shared analysis of need and a common agreement on the outcomes to be met. We will also expect them to monitor how this funding has been used, and report back to the Department.

Sodium Thiopental: Exports

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the difference between the requirements of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in respect of the proposed export of sodium thiopental to  (a) Europe and  (b) the US.

Anne Milton: The Treaty establishing the European Community prohibits import and export restrictions between all member states. Controls on the movement of goods within the internal market have been abolished since 1993 and the European Community is now a single territory without internal frontiers.
	Medicines for human use are subject to an extensive European regulatory regime. Provided that a medicinal product complies with this regulatory regime for common standards and it has been authorised by a national medicines regulatory body like the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom or, the European Medicines Agency that can permit the simultaneous marketing of medicines across the whole of the European Community, the medicinal product may move freely around the European Community.
	Medicines for human use that are marketed in the European Community can also be exported to a country outside of the European Community, provided that the export does not breach any European regulations prohibiting such an activity. It is considered that under these circumstances it is the responsibility of the non European Community country to control the legality of the medicinal product when imported into their country.

Spinal Injuries: Surgery

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many spinal procedures involving  (a) discetomy,  (b) decompression,  (c) fusion,  (d) total disc replacement,  (e) endoscopic transforaminal surgery and  (f) each other category of procedure for which information is available were carried out in NHS facilities in each of the last five years; what the (i) clinical outcomes, (ii) cost to the public purse of performing, (iii) cost of complications arising from and (iv) cost of litigation in connection with such procedures was in each such year; and what the cost to the public purse was of (A) chronic pain management and (B) cognitive behavioural therapy for patients who underwent such procedures in each such year.

Simon Burns: The available information has been placed in the Library. Information on the cost of litigation by procedure is only available at disproportionate cost. Other information on outcomes and costs by procedure is not collected centrally.

Surgery

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of those operations cancelled for elective admissions since 1 April 2010 had been carried out on the latest date for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data on the total number of cancelled operations, or the date on which all patients whose operation had been cancelled, were treated.
	The Department collects and publishes information on the number of elective operations that were cancelled at the last minute (on the day of admission or of operation), for non-clinical reasons. The Department also publishes information on the number of patients treated within 28 days of their operation being cancelled.
	The latest data, published on 12 November 2010, shows:
	that from April to September 2010 (quarters 1 and 2 2010-11), 26,236 elective operations were cancelled, compared to 27,505 in the same period in 2009-10.
	of the 26,236 cancellations, 97.1% of patients were treated within 28 days, compared to 96.8% in the same period in 2009-10.
	operations cancelled at the last minute represented 0.8% of all elective activity in quarters 1 and 2. This compares to 1.1% cancelled operations in the previous quarter (January to March 2010) and 0.8% in quarters 1 and 2 2009-10.
	Cancellations at any stage can be inconvenient and stressful for patients. Focusing on operations cancelled at the last minute addresses cancellations that cause most distress to patients. It is the responsibility of individual hospitals to ensure that they have the necessary staff, theatre space and beds available to keep cancellations to an absolute minimum.

Tobacco: Crime

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated of the effects of the availability of illicit tobacco products on the incidence of (i) under age smoking and (ii) health conditions caused by contaminated illicit tobacco products; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: No research has been commissioned by the Department into these specific questions. Officials monitor and utilise all available relevant research in their work to tackle the dangers to health from all forms of tobacco product.
	The Department works closely with HM Revenue and Customs at all levels (international, national and local) in countering the availability of illicit tobacco.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Alternative Vote: Referendums

Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of members of the peerage who would be eligible to vote in a referendum on the voting system solely by virtue of a business interest in the City of London under the proposal in clause 2(2) of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill.

Mark Harper: The Government have made no such estimate. The franchise for municipal elections in the City of London is a matter for the City of London Corporation.

Cooperative Bank

David Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on what dates he has met the Co-operative Bank in November 2010.

Nicholas Clegg: The Deputy Prime Minister publishes details of all official external meetings on a quarterly basis.
	http://download.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/transparency/dpm-meetings.csv

Electoral Register

Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority in  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales,  (c) Northern Ireland and  (d) England has spent on the annual canvass for the electoral register in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: The Government do not hold this information; however, the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provided powers for the Electoral Commission to request financial information from Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers across Great Britain. In June 2010, the Electoral Commission published a report, The Cost of Electoral Administration in Great Britain which provides details of data collected by the Commission. This can be accessed on the Electoral Commission's website at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/performance-standards/financial-information
	It provides details of the spend by local authorities in  (a) Scotland  (b) Wales and  (c) England on the annual canvass (where information has been provided) for 2007-8 and 2008-9.
	Information on the 2009-10 financial year is not yet available, and was not collected in 2006-7.
	Northern Ireland has had a system of individual electoral registration in place since 2002, and in 2006 the annual canvass was replaced with a system of 'continuous registration' based on data matching the electoral register against other public databases.

Fixed-term Parliaments

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish each representation he has received on the length of fixed-term Parliaments.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 6 September 2010,  Official Report, column 306W on the matter of the length of fixed-term Parliaments. I also received several representations from those Members who took part in proceedings in Committee of the Whole House on the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill on 16 November. The hon. Member will appreciate it is not standard practice to publish correspondence from members of the public.

Fixed-term Parliaments

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the length of fixed-term Parliaments.

Mark Harper: The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister meet regularly to discuss the current programme for Government, part of which is our programme of constitutional and political reform.

House of Lords: Reform

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what his policy is on the body which should have responsibility for drawing up constituencies for elections to a reformed second chamber;
	(2)  what proposals he has for the electoral system to be used for elections to a reformed second chamber.

Mark Harper: The cross-party Committee on House of Lords reform, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, is considering all issues pertinent to reform of the House of Lords including the electoral system and constituencies to be used in elections to a reformed second chamber.

House of Lords: Reform

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the establishment of a wholly-elected second chamber.

Mark Harper: The cross-party Committee on House of Lords reform, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, will bring forward proposals for a wholly or mainly directly elected second chamber on the basis of proportional representation. The final composition of the reformed second chamber, and whether it is to be wholly or mainly elected, is yet to be determined.

House of Lords: Reform

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the electoral system to be used in elections to a reformed second chamber.

Mark Harper: To date, the Deputy Prime Minister has received a number of representations from MPs, peers, members of the public and those with a professional or academic interest on the issue of House of Lords reform. Some representations have discussed the type of electoral system to be used in elections to a reformed second chamber.

House of Lords: Reform

William Bain: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the  (a) electoral system for and  (b) number of members of a reformed second chamber;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the body which will have responsibility for drawing up constituencies or regional areas for elections to any reformed second chamber.

Mark Harper: The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister meet regularly to discuss the current programme for Government, part of which is our programme of constitutional and political reform.

TREASURY

Arch Cru

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions has he had with the Financial Services Authority on the collapse of Arch Cru funds.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials meet members of the FSA on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of economic and financial issues. It is not the Government's practice to provide details of such meetings.

Arch Cru

Therese Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the collapse of Arch Cru funds.

Mark Hoban: The Government have received correspondence regarding Arch Cru funds, but this is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), as the independent regulator, and Capita as the Authorised Corporate Director to pursue.

Bank Levy

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the (i) British Bankers' Association and (ii) Investment Management Association to discuss (A) the proposed bank levy and (B) taxation of the financial services sector since May 2010; when each such meeting took place; and who was present at each such meeting;
	(2)  what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the (i) Hedge Fund Association and (ii) Alternative Investment Management Association since his appointment to discuss the taxation of the financial services sector; when each such meeting took place; and who was present at each such meeting;
	(3)  what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the banks which will be affected by the proposed bank levy since his appointment; when each such meeting took place; and who was present at each such meeting;
	(4)  what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Robin Hood Tax campaign to discuss (i) the proposed bank levy and (ii) taxation of the financial services sector since his appointment; when each such meeting took place; and who was present at each such meeting.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers have met with a wide range of interested parties to discuss various aspects of financial sector taxation since the formation of the Government.

Bank Levy

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the banking sector on the bank balance sheet levy; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The Government published Bank Levy: A Consultation on 13 July 2010, and invited the views of business, as well as the views of representative bodies and tax advisers on the design and implementation of the Levy. The Government received a total of 48 responses on a wide range of issues. Details of the responses received, and a full list of respondents, were set out in Bank Levy: Consultation Response, published on 21 October, available at:
	http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/fin_bank_levy.htm

Bank Levy

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue accruing to the public purse from the bank levy in each of the next four financial years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the banking sector of the proposed changes to corporation tax in each of the next four financial years;
	(3)  what revenue he expects to accrue to the Exchequer from the bank levy in each of the next four financial years.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George) on 26 July 2010,  Official Report, column 722W.

Banks: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish his Department's assessment of the effects on growth, output and inflation of the Bank of England's asset purchase facility to date;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made on the effects on growth, output and inflation of the Bank of England's asset purchase facility being extended by £50 billion.

Mark Hoban: Assessments of the asset purchase facility can be found in the Bank of England quarterly inflation reports. In particular, the May 2009 inflation report explains how quantitative easing works to impact the economy through various channels including higher money supply, lower long-term interest rates and rising asset prices. An assessment of the impact on asset prices, in particular on the gilt market, is made in the May 2010 inflation report which says:
	"asset purchases appear to be having a sizeable downward effect on gilt yields...equity and corporate bond prices have increased significantly since early 2009. That is likely, in part, to reflect the exceptional monetary stimulus".
	The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. It is the MPC which assesses and decides on the appropriate monetary policy stance in order to target 2% inflation, as measured by the 12-month change in the consumer prices index (CPI). This includes decisions on the use of the asset purchase facility (APF) and any further extensions.

Child Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households with a combined income of more than £44,000 per annum in which  (a) one person and  (b) no-one earns £44,000 or more per annum.

David Gauke: In 2010-11, the estimated numbers of households with a combined income of more than £44,000 per annum in which:
	 (a) at least one person has income of £44,000 or more per annum is 2.9 million (with median incomes of around £75,000).
	 (b) no one has income of £44,000 or more per annum is 2.5 million (with median incomes of around £50,000).

Child Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) single and  (b) multiple income households which will be affected by his proposed change to child benefit arrangements.

David Gauke: The proposed changes to child benefit arrangements in 2013 will affect around 200,000 single income households and 1.3 million multiple income households.

Child Benefit

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on single parents of his Department's proposed changes to child benefit.

David Gauke: Before making the decision to withdraw child benefit from households with a higher rate taxpayer, the Chancellor considered an equalities screening assessment for this measure, which included an estimate of the number of lone parent households affected by this measure.

Child Benefit

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing his Department's proposed changes to child benefit.

David Gauke: The preliminary indicative estimate for delivering the change to child benefit announced by the Chancellor on 4 October 2010 is £130 million over the four year spending review period.

Child Benefit

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of couples in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) region in respect of which one adult earns £44,000 or more and the other is not in paid employment.

David Gauke: holding answer 13 October 2010
	There are an estimated 560,000 couples in the United Kingdom in 2010-11 where one adult earns £44,000 or more and the other has no earnings.
	This estimate is based on Family Resources Survey data projected to 2010-11. Earnings denotes income from employment including self-employment income. Reliable estimates are not available at parliamentary constituency or regional level due to small survey sample sizes at this level of geography.

Child Benefit

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of single parents in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) region who earn £44,000 or more a year and who are in receipt of child benefit.

David Gauke: holding answer 13 October 2010
	Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	Information on the number of single parents with incomes of £44,000 or more a year and are in receipt of child benefit is not available at regional level as it is potentially disclosive.

Child Benefit

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of people in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) region who earn £44,000 or more a year and who are in receipt of child benefit.

David Gauke: holding answer 13 October 2010
	Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
	The numbers of families in each region where one member has income of £44,000 or more a year and where the family is in receipt of child benefit in 2010-11 is presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Families in each region where one member has income of £44,000 or more a year and where the family is in receipt of child benefit, 2010-11 
			  Government office region  Number 
			 North-east 40,000 
			 North-west and Merseyside 90,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 70,000 
			 East midlands 60,000 
			 West midlands 90,000 
			 Eastern 130,000 
			 London 220,000 
			 South-east 280,000 
			 South-west 90,000 
			   
			  Country  
			 England 1,070,000 
			 Wales 30,000 
			 Scotland 100,000 
			 Northern Ireland 20,000 
			   
			 United Kingdom 1,200,000

Child Benefit

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many dual income families with a household income between £43,875 and £87,750 are in receipt of child benefit.

David Gauke: There are estimated to be around 1.6 million dual income families with a household income of between £43,875 and £87,750 and in receipt of child benefit in 2010-11. Within these 1.6 million dual income families it is estimated that 640,000 have a higher rate taxpayer.

Child Benefit

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates the Government will save as a result of  (a) non-indexation of and  (b) changes to entitlement to child benefit in each year of the 2010 spending review period.

David Gauke: The amount that will be saved from freezing child benefit for three years and removing it from higher rate taxpayers is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Freezing child benefit for three years from 2011-12 365 695 940 975 
			 Removing child benefit from households with a higher rate taxpayer 0 590 2,420 2,500 
			 Total 365 1,285 3,360 3,475

Child Benefit

Pat Glass: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) the North East and  (b) the UK which will be affected by the withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate tax payer.

David Gauke: The number of households affected by the withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate tax payer in 2013:
	 (a) in the north-east is estimated to be around 50,000
	 (b) in the UK is estimated to be around 1.5 million.

Child Benefit

Anne Begg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many women who are  (a) basic rate taxpayers and  (b) non-earners will no longer receive child benefit as a result of proposed changes to the eligibility criteria.

David Gauke: Women will only stop receiving child benefit if another member of their household is a higher rate taxpayer and the family chooses to cease their child benefit claim. All other mothers in such households will continue to receive child benefit with the relevant monies recovered via the income tax system.

Child Benefit

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the principle of independent taxation will apply to his proposed changes to child benefit arrangements.

David Gauke: holding answer 2 November 2010
	 The withdrawal of child benefit from families containing a higher rate taxpayer will not affect the principle of independent taxation.

Child Benefit

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make an estimate of the monetary value of a child benefit payment to a household of a couple who live together with two children in which the mother pays income tax at the basic rate and the father pays income tax at the higher rate under the reforms proposed in the spending review;
	(2)  if he will make an estimate of the monetary value of a child benefit payment to a household of two children with parents who are a couple who live apart in respect of which the mother pays income tax at the basic rate and the father pays income tax at the higher rate under the reforms proposed in the spending review;
	(3)  if he will make an estimate of the monetary value of a child benefit payment to a mother who pays income tax at the basic rate who has two children whose father pays income tax at the higher rate and is no longer part of a couple with their mother under the reforms proposed in the spending review;

David Gauke: holding answer 2 November 2010
	From January 2013, child benefit will be withdrawn from families with a higher rate taxpayer so that people on lower incomes are not subsidising those who are better off. It is not fair to expect those earning £15,000 or £30,000 to go on paying the child benefit of those earning £50,000 or £100,000.

Child Benefit

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what plans he has to implement his proposal to withdraw eligibility for child benefit for households which include a higher rate taxpayer;
	(2)  what timetable he has set for the introduction of restrictions on the payment of child benefit to households with one or more higher rate taxpayers;
	(3)  by what mechanism he plans to enforce the ending of child benefit payments to households with one or more higher rate taxpayers;
	(4)  whether he plans to identify those households with one or more higher rate taxpayers which are in receipt of child benefit by requiring them to self-certify.

David Gauke: The policy to withdraw child benefit from families containing a higher rate taxpayer will be introduced from January 2013 and will be administered through the tax system using existing systems and processes.
	It will be the responsibility of the higher rate taxpayer to inform HMRC whether their household is in receipt of child benefit. In line with the normal administration of tax, HMRC has enforcement powers in the case of non-disclosure of information relevant to a person's tax affairs, including penalties.

Child Benefit

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the average change in household income of a family with children as a result of  (a) maintaining child benefit at the current level and  (b) withdrawal of the Child Trust Fund scheme.

David Gauke: In 2011-12 average household income of a family with children will fall by approximately £47 per year as a result of the freeze in the level of child benefit.
	The Child Trust Fund (CTF) scheme is not being withdrawn. While eligibility for CTFs will cease from January 2011, existing CTF accounts will continue to benefit from tax-free investment growth and any contributions from the child's family and friends. No withdrawals will be possible until the child reaches age 18. As the first CTF child will not reach age 18 until 2020 the changes to the CTF scheme will have no impact on the average household income of a family with children.

Child Benefit

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single income families with an annual household income between  (a) £50,000 and £87,749,  (b) £87,750 and £249,999,  (c) £250,000 and £499,999 and  (d) £500,000 and £1,000,000 are in receipt of child benefit.

David Gauke: There are estimated to be around 80,000 single income households with a household income between £50,000 and £87,749 and around 30,000 with incomes between £87,750 and £249,999.
	Estimates for single income households with incomes in the remaining groups are not available due to small sample sizes.

Child Benefit: Chester

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in City of Chester constituency claim child benefit; and how many such households include a higher rate taxpayer.

David Gauke: The information requested on the number of households in City of Chester constituency can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug09.pdf
	This information is based on a snapshot as at August 2009 of all child benefit claims.
	The information on how many of these households contain a higher rate taxpayer is not available.

Child Benefit: Databases

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of  (a) creating and  (b) maintaining a new child benefit database to match data on mothers with data of their partner's income.

David Gauke: From January 2013, child benefit will be withdrawn by HMRC from the higher rate taxpayer using existing PAYE and SA systems, which avoids additional systems being developed. The implementation of this policy requires only modest changes to existing IT systems. We do not envisage the need for any significant additional IT to support this policy.

Child Benefit: Females

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of those in receipt of child benefit in  (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England are female.

David Gauke: The following table shows the estimated percentage of child benefit recipients who were female as at August 2009.
	
		
			   Female child benefit recipients  (%) 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne North 94 
			 North East 94 
			 England 91

Child Benefit: Scotland

Anne Begg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households in  (a) Aberdeen South constituency,  (b) Aberdeen local authority and  (c) Scotland which will be affected by the withdrawal of child benefit from families with a higher rate tax payer.

David Gauke: Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level or local authority level.
	The number of families in Scotland that will be affected by the withdrawal of child benefit from higher-rate taxpayers from January 2013 is estimated to be around 120,000.

Child Poverty: Comprehensive Spending Review

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the evidential basis is for his assessment of the effect of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review on child poverty.

David Gauke: There is no measurable impact on child poverty from all modelled spending review changes up to 2012-13. Not all measures could be reliably modelled due to data constraints. Details of the measures considered in Treasury analysis on child poverty were published in "Spending Review 2010: Distributional Impact Analysis-Data Sources".

Corporation Tax: Third Sector

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was collected in corporation tax from  (a) social enterprises and  (b) community interest companies in 2009-10.

David Gauke: Information on the amount of revenue which was collected from corporation tax paid by  (a) social enterprises and  (b) community interest companies in 2009-10 is not available.

Departmental Food

Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has guidelines on ensuring that food used for his Department's official functions is of domestic origin.

Justine Greening: Meat, dairy and other food products are provided to HM Treasury staff under a facilities management contract. There is no specific policy or guideline on food procurement in general or for specific functions. However, HM Treasury encourages the facilities management provider to support UK produce wherever commercially viable and when available.

Departmental Manpower

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the  (a) mean and  (b) median age of staff in his Department was on the latest date for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: The mean and the median ages of staff who work in HM Treasury are 35.8 and 32 respectively.
	The latest date for the information used to calculate this information is 1 October 2010.

Departmental Manpower

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of his Department are aged between  (a) 21 and 30,  (b) 31 and 40,  (c) 41 and 50 and (d) 51 and 60.

Justine Greening: The number of staff within HM Treasury aged  (a) 20 to 29,  (b) 30 to 39,  (c) 40 to 49,  (d) 50 to 59 and  (e) 60+ are listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Age band of staff  Total 
			 20-29 463 
			 30-39 426 
			 40-49 234 
			 50-59 158 
			 60+ 21

Departmental Manpower

Jesse Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual turnover of staff in his Department was in each of the last five years.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury staff turnover for each of the five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2009-10 21.4 
			 2008-09 22.4 
			 2007-08 38.3 
			 2006-07 24.6 
			 2005-06 25.6

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual expenditure on vehicles of  (a) his Department and  (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in each region of England was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is in each case for 2010-11.

Justine Greening: No vehicles have been purchased in the past three years by the Treasury or any of its agencies or non-departmental bodies. There are no plans for spending on vehicles in 2010-11.

Departmental Postal Services

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken to identify those of its services that could be provided through the Post Office network.

Justine Greening: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has lead responsibility for the Post Office and takes a proactive approach alongside Post Office Ltd in seeking commercial opportunities with Government Departments. As part of the spending review HM Treasury published proposals emerging from joint work with the Cabinet Office's Efficiency and Reform Group which, alongside digital means, proposed using the Post Office increasingly as a front office for Government.

Excise Duties: Tobacco

Julie Hilling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the EU Cooperation Agreement (EUCA) signed by British American Tobacco to reduce the illicit trade in tobacco; what steps the Government is taking to support the EUCA; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The UK became signatories to the co-operation agreement with British American Tobacco (BAT) in July.
	The agreement is one of a series of agreements between the EU and multi-national tobacco companies which the UK has also signed. The agreements complement existing legislation that requires all tobacco manufacturers to prevent smuggling through careful control of their supply chains. Responsibility for implementing the agreements rests with HMRC who are in regular contact with the European Commission.
	The agreements will facilitate better control over tobacco smuggling with enhanced co-operation from other member states as a result of better working relationships with EU partners. They will also hold the tobacco manufacturers accountable for their actions and encourage responsible trade by requiring the manufacturers to make substantial annual payments to the EU and participating member states over a period of years and to put in place measures to control the supply and distribution of their products.
	The BAT agreement sets out the steps that the company are required to take in order to control the supply chain for their products. It also requires them to make supplemental payments to member states if their product is found smuggled to have been smuggled in significant volumes. Seizures made in the UK which qualify are notified to the European Commission by HMRC for this purpose.
	These agreements are an important step forward in the fight against tobacco smuggling. Signing them sends a clear and consistent signal that we are working in step with the EU, other member states and tobacco manufacturers to tackle the illicit trade in tobacco products.

Housing Benefit

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of using the consumer price index rather than the retail price index for calculation of local housing allowance for two years only from 2013-14.

David Gauke: holding answer 9 November 2010
	 The June 2010 Budget announced that the consumer prices index will be used to uprate local housing allowance rates from 2013-14. This replaces the existing system where rent officers determine the LHA rates on a monthly basis using a list of rents created for each category of property within every broad rental market area (BRMA). Our policy is designed to ensure that increases in housing benefit are more in line with the rent increases that would be affordable to families who do not claim benefits.
	CPI indexation of LHA rates has been estimated to save £390 million per annum by 2014-15 relative to the current system. No separate estimate has been made of the cost of uprating LHA rates by CPI compared to using the retail prices index (RPI) as the measure of inflation because it is not Government policy to uprate LHA rates by RPI.

Housing: Floods

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the revenue which will accrue to the Exchequer as a result of the proposed levy on home owners in areas of significant risk of flood in each of the next four financial years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has for a levy on homeowners in areas of significant risk of flood; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: HM Treasury has no plans to introduce a levy on home owners in areas at risk of flooding and therefore has no estimates of the revenue that would accrue to the Exchequer from such a levy.

Import Duties: Agriculture

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on economic growth in the UK of a reduction in agricultural tariffs as a result of the World Trade Organisation's Doha round negotiations.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	The agricultural element of the Doha Development Agenda cannot be seen in isolation of the other areas under negotiation in the Doha round. A Doha deal would include new agricultural and industrial market access, increased transparency and security in services, and an improvement of the global trade rule book. It would increase UK prosperity, give the global economy a boost, and lift millions of people around the world out of poverty. To UK businesses in agriculture, like in other sectors, it would offer new export opportunities, provide cheaper inputs, reduce non-tariff barriers, and simplify bureaucratic trade procedures making it easier to do business around the world. To consumers, it would provide lower prices (especially of food), greater variety of products, and increased competition in the supply of goods and services. Globally, the benefits are estimated at £110 billion annually, with the UK gaining in the range of £3 billion every year in additional national income.

Incentives

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs plans to pay in staff bonuses and other awards in addition to salary in 2010-11; and to how many staff in each role it expects to make such payment.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 October 2010
	 In line with the pay award agreed with HM Treasury and the departmental trade unions, HMRC made performance award payments to staff in June 2010 relating to performance in the appraisal year 2009-10. HMRC also makes in-year payments under its recognition bonus scheme.
	HMRC expects the amounts paid out and the number of staff in receipt of these awards in 2010-11 to be of similar magnitude to 2009-10. These bonuses are dependent on staff performance.
	HMRC does not hold any bonus data by role.

Incentives

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on  (a) hospitality,  (b) entertainment,  (c) promotional materials,  (d) sponsorships and  (e) advertising in each media outlet in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 October 2010
	 The spend by HM Revenue and Customs is provided as follows. All figures exclude VAT.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Hospitality/entertainment( 1)
			 Total 97,396.66 93,209 88,994 
			 
			  Sponsorship
			 Total 0 0 542,034 
			 
			  Advertising by each media outlet( 2)
			 Press 2,075,124 3,453,236 2,942,746 
			 TV 1,603,361 3,333,820 1,339,945 
			 Radio 4,106,193 3,970,579 3,062,948 
			 Posters 822,671 1,585,823 656,710 
			 Online 1,457,8691 1,430,810 1,180,706 
			 (1) The majority of spend on hospitality and entertainment relates to the provision of beverages at meetings and for visitors. We have provided the total spend for hospitality and entertainment for each of the last three years. (2) Figures do not include production, miscellaneous or Central Office for Information fee costs. 
		
	
	The total spend on promotional materials is not available. No central record is held and it cannot be disaggregated from other spend, except at disproportionate cost.

Individual Savings Accounts

Jake Berry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to allow alternative investment market shares to be held in individual savings accounts.

Mark Hoban: ISAs are the Government's main non-pensions savings incentive, and are held by 20 million adults. The Government believe that ISAs are a trusted brand, and that it is important that this is maintained. The Government also believe that ISAs should be mainstream savings products. The Government therefore do not intend to allow shares listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM)-which can be riskier and less liquid-to be qualifying investments for ISAs. It is already the case that companies listed on AIM may benefit from other incentive schemes, such as investments made through the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to answer the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 6 October with regard to Ms P J Davis.

Mark Hoban: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to answer the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 16 August with regard to Mr A Ramsden.

Mark Hoban: I replied to the right hon. Member on 13 October.

Monetary Policy

Steven Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effects of  (a) quantitative easing and  (b) credit expansion in excess of real savings on the structure of (i) relative prices and (ii) macroeconomic aggregates.

Mark Hoban: The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy. The MPC decides on use of measures, including the asset purchase facility (APF), in order to target 2% inflation, as measured by the 12-month change in the consumer prices index (CPI).
	Assessments of quantitative easing can be found in the Bank of England quarterly inflation reports. In particular, the May 2009 inflation report explains how quantitative easing works to impact the economy through various channels including higher money supply, lower long-term interest rates and rising asset prices. An assessment of the impact on asset prices, in particular on the gilt market, is made in the May 2010 inflation report which says:
	"asset purchases appear to be having a sizeable downward effect on gilt yields...equity and corporate bond prices have increased significantly since early 2009. That is likely, in part, to reflect the exceptional monetary stimulus".
	The Government have announced the interim Financial Policy Committee (FPC) at the Bank of England will be created this autumn. It will be responsible for looking at risks across the financial system as a whole and how financial markets interact with the wider economy. The Bank of England half-yearly financial stability reports will continue to capture such analysis.

PAYE

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in each parliamentary constituency who have  (a) underpaid and  (b) overpaid tax as a result of recent miscalculations of tax liability made by HM Revenue and Customs in the PAYE system.

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Coventry South constituency HM Revenue and Customs has asked to make additional PAYE tax payments as a result of the recent recalculation of PAYE liabilities; and what the average repayment requested is.

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people residing in  (a) Streatham constituency,  (b) the London borough of Lambeth and  (c) London have (i) overpaid and (ii) underpaid tax as a result of miscalculations of tax liabilities in the PAYE system as identified in the most recent PAYE reconciliation process.

David Gauke: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost, as HMRC's national insurance and PAYE system does not hold data in relation to parliamentary constituencies, boroughs or regions.

Personal Income

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over 50 years of age resident in  (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England he expects to experience a reduction in annual income as a result of the comprehensive spending review.

David Gauke: The effect of spending review at an individual level will be determined by how a household allocates its resources. As different households allocate their resources in different ways and as data on allocation is not available, any analysis using arbitrary assumptions would not be robust. As such it is not possible to provide this information. However, detail at a household level of the impacts of spending review and the fiscal consolidation as a whole are presented in Annex B of the Spending Review.

Personal Income

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many working households in  (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England he expects to experience a reduction in annual income as a result of the comprehensive spending review;
	(2)  how many single parent families resident in  (a) Newcastle Upon Tyne North constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England he expects to experience a reduction in annual income as a result of the comprehensive spending review.

David Gauke: At the June Budget and spending review, this Government have taken the unprecedented step of publishing detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of its decisions for the first time-see for example charts B.4 and B.5 in Annex B of the spending review. This analysis shows that, when Budget and spending review measures are taken together, it is the top decile that contributes most to the fiscal consolidation, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of net income.
	Further detail of the methodology used to produce these estimates is provided in the Data Sources document accompanying the Spending Review.

Public Expenditure

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely effects of changes announced in the  (a) June 2010 Budget and  (b) the 2010 spending review on the incomes of (i) families with children, (ii) pensioners, (iii) couples without children and (iv) single person households.

David Gauke: At the June Budget and spending review, this Government have taken the unprecedented step of publishing detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of their decision for the first time-see for instance charts B.4, B.5 and B.6 in annex B of the 'Spending Review 2010' document. This analysis shows that, when Budget and spending review measures are taken together, it is clear that the top decile contributes the most to the fiscal consolidation, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of net income.
	The Government have taken action in the June Budget and this spending review to help low-income families. For example, increasing the child element of tax credits by £180 next year and a further £110 the year after. These steps have ensured that there is no measurable impact on child poverty from all modelled measures to 2012-13.
	Estimates of the impact of June 2010 Budget and 2010 spending review on net household income by household type for 2012-13 can be found in the following table. The methodology used to produce these estimates is consistent with the one used in charts B.4 and B.5 in annex B of the 'Spending Review 2010' document (see 'Spending Review 2010 Distributional Impact Analysis-Data Sources' document for further detail).
	
		
			  Impact of measures as a per cent of net income by household type, 2012-13 
			  Percentage 
			  Household type  Budget( 1)  Spending review 
			 Single -0.62 -0.03 
			 Couple without children -0.52 -0.02 
			 Couple with children -1.30 -0.32 
			 One-parent families -0.96 0.27 
			 Pensioners -0.52 -0.23 
			 (1) Including impact of indirect measures  Source: HM Treasury tax and benefit micro-simulation model

Revenue and Customs: Databases

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects of combining the child benefit and child tax credit systems on  (a) administrative costs and  (b) levels of administrative error.

David Gauke: The Government consider a range of options when formulating policy. The Chancellor announced that child benefit will be withdrawn from families containing a higher rate taxpayer from January 2013. This can be delivered within existing PAYE and self-assessment systems, avoiding the need for new systems to be developed.

Revenue and Customs: Dismissal

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time employees of each (i) grade, (ii) sex and (iii) ethnicity HM Revenue and Customs has dismissed in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Revenue and Customs: Expenditure

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs spent on compliance activities in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10; and how much it plans to spend on such activities in 2010-11.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 November 2010
	 It is not possible to estimate the total spent on compliance activities. However, HMRC total pay bill costs for the main directorates involved in compliance activity are:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2008-09 1,128 
			 2009-10 1,079 
			 2010-11 forecast 1,046 
		
	
	The Government also announced that £900 million will be made available over the spending review period, to enable HMRC to step up its activity in tackling evasion, avoidance and fraud to bring in £7 billion additional revenue year by 2014-15. Reducing tax loss, whether it stems from misunderstanding or deliberate evasion, is a key priority for this Government and HMRC are determined to relentlessly pursue those who bend or break the rules.

Revenue and Customs: Finance

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons HM Revenue and Customs is to receive additional funding as a result of the comprehensive spending review.

David Gauke: HMRC is not receiving additional funding as a result of the spending review settlement. They are making savings of 25% (including a 33% saving in administration spending) and then reinvesting £900 million in tackling non-compliance in the tax system in order to bring in an additional £7 billion in tax revenues by 2014-15.

Revenue and Customs: Finance

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effects he expects the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review to have on his Department's funding for HM Revenue and Customs in each year of the spending review period.

David Gauke: The outcome of the spending review is that HMRC will be required to make savings of 25% in real terms on a straight line basis over the next four years and that they will re-invest £900 million to tackle non-compliance in the tax system.
	The overall net effect is a real terms reduction of about 15%.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the average waiting time was for a caller to the tax credit helpline whose call was permitted to be put on hold in each week in  (a) July and  (b) August 2010;
	(2)  how many calls were  (a) received,  (b) answered and  (c) abandoned or cut off by the tax credit helpline in each week in (i) July and (ii) August 2010.

David Gauke: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Week commencing:( 1)  Callers( 2)  Calls attempts received( 3)  Calls answered( 4)  Calls abandoned( 5)  Calls cut off( 6)  Average waiting time (mm:ss)( 7) 
			 27 June 2010 630,515 1,195,474 634,643 151,083 398,057 03:46 
			 4 July 2010 699,874 1,416,804 693,483 141,485 539,197 04:28 
			 11 July 2010 685,908 1.339.25& 683,885 127,912 550,900 04:20 
			 18 July 2010 756,705 1,596,414 701,884 150,553 742,420 05:23 
			 25 July 2010 1,323,210 6,125,931 1,061,920 292,099 3,055,710 10:47 
			 1 August 2010 761,693 2,372,392 500,639 210,788 1,636,025 08:44 
			 8 August 2010 589,156 1,695,307 430,156 213,580 1,040,832 09:08 
			 15 August 2010 922,408 4,127,496 545,290 125,217 3,435,226 09:39 
			 22 August 2010 938,167 3,578,722 555,291 159,401 2,829,593 09:55 
			 29 August 2010 729,110 2,579,750 443,763 115,498 1,998,847 08:36 
			 (1) Week commencing-Calculated within HMRC business results from Sunday to Saturday. (2) Callers-The number of individual callers telephoning on each individual day. (3) Call attempts received-The number of attempts (including redials) made to the tax credit helpline. (4) Calls answered-The number of calls handled by advisers and by automated message. (5) Calls abandoned-The number of calls abandoned after a customer has selected an option from the call steering menu. (6) Calls cut off-The number of calls unable to enter call steering menu/queue as the queue is full and a busy message is played. (7) Average speed to answer-The time taken from when a customer selects an option from the call steering menu to when the call is connected to an adviser. 
		
	
	Customer demand on HMRC's telephone helplines fluctuates significantly during the year, with demand peaks around key tax year deadlines. There are significant peaks in demand on the tax credits helpline in July for renewals and in August as customers who have had their payments terminated call to re-instate their awards. Performance therefore tends to be lower in this period than at other times of the year although HMRC switches advisers between helplines to manage this peak.
	During peak periods, callers who cannot get through on their first attempt often use the redial facility on their telephone to make numerous successive calls which rapidly increases the number and proportion of unanswered calls. In addition, a combination of factors including increases in the number of renewals packs and termination notices issued has significantly increased demand on the tax credits helpline this year.
	Performance on the tax credit helpline has significantly improved in recent weeks.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many calls were  (a) received,  (b) answered and  (c) abandoned or cut off by the child benefit helpline in each week in (i) July and (ii) August 2010;
	(2)  what the average waiting time was for a caller to the child benefit helpline whose call was permitted to be put on hold in each week in  (a) July and  (b) August 2010.

David Gauke: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Week commencing:( 1)  Callers( 2)  Calls attempts received( 3)  Calls answered( 4)  Calls abandoned( 5)  Calls cut off( 6)  Average waiting time (mm:ss)( 7) 
			 27 June 2010 94,815 151,581 84,987 26,287 39,684 04:54 
			 4 July 2010 109,924 215,593 88,653 25,902 100,530 05:34 
			 11 July 2010 102,474 184,675 88,532 23,943 71,682 05:19 
			 18 July 2010 96,877 145,942 86,333 24,708 33,883 05:09 
			 25 July 2010 104,407 179,211 85,310 24,058 64,897 05:39 
			 1 August 2010 102,567 174,596 82,330 25,870 63,244 05:39 
			 8 August 2010 93,851 131,184 87,753 21,495 19,360 04:30 
			 15 August 2010 102,708 151,793 90,221 25,062 28,986 04:55 
			 22 August 2010 112,434 158,252 104,726 27,032 21,658 04:52 
			 29 August 2010 122,802 294,867 85,353 26,153 181,913 06:51 
			 (1) Week commencing-Calculated within HMRC business results from Sunday to Saturday. (2) Callers-The number of individual callers who telephoned on each individual day. (3) Call attempts received-The number of attempts (including redials) made to the child benefit helpline. (4) Calls answered-The number of calls handled by advisers and by automated message. (5) Calls abandoned-The number of calls abandoned after a customer has selected an option from the call steering menu. (6) Calls cut off-The number of calls unable to enter call steering menu/queue as the queue is full and a busy message is played. (7) Average speed to answer-The time taken from when a customer selects an option from the call steering menu to when the call is connected to an adviser. 
		
	
	Customer demand on HMRC's telephone helplines fluctuates significantly during the year, with demand peaks around key tax year deadlines. There is a particular peak in demand in July and August connected with tax credits renewals and terminations and HMRC switches advisers between helplines to help manage this peak. Performance across all of HMRC's helplines, including child benefit, therefore tends to be lower in this period than at other times of the year.
	Performance on the child benefit helpline has significantly improved in recent weeks.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 287-8W, on Revenue and Customs: Christchurch, if he will provide a telephone number for the inquiry centre at Holland House, Bournemouth so that customers can arrange appointments for advice on their tax affairs by telephone.

David Gauke: holding answer 17 November 2010
	The helpline number for the Bournemouth area, including Christchurch, is 0845 300 0627 and customers can make appointments at the inquiry centre using this number. HMRC's helpline numbers are available on their website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk
	or in telephone directories. To help resolve their inquiries as efficiently as possible, customers should call the helpline number that is most relevant to their query.

Tax Allowances

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of tax reliefs other than those relating to pension savings.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs publishes a list showing the annual cost of the principal tax expenditures and structural reliefs on its website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table1-5.pdf
	The Office of Tax Simplification has been asked to carry out a review of all tax reliefs by Budget 2011, identifying changes that can be made to simplify the tax system.
	On 8 November 2010 the Office of Tax Simplification published a list of all tax reliefs and its proposed approach to the review. The Government will carefully consider the recommendations from the review in due course.

Tax Allowances: Breweries

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made an assessment of the merits of placing time limits on the tax relief offered to micro-breweries.

Justine Greening: The Treasury keeps all tax reliefs under review. Small breweries relief provides duty relief to micro and small breweries producing up to 60,000 hectolitres per annum. Decisions about tax policy are a matter for the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the likely monetary value of tax subsidies in respect of pension savings in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2012,  (c) 2013,  (d) 2014 and  (e) 2015.

Mark Hoban: Total pensions tax relief for 2001-02 was around £17 billion (gross) rising to over £28 billion in 2009-10. No estimates or forecasts are published beyond this date.
	HM Revenue and Customs publish pensions tax relief statistics which are available from the HMRC's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/table7-9.pdf

Tax Avoidance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funding his Department has allocated to reducing the level of tax avoidance by higher rate taxpayers in each financial year since 1997.

David Gauke: Neither HMRC nor its preceding departments have allocated funding in accordance with the criteria set out in the question.
	This Government are committed to tackling avoidance and intend to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and to review areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes. As part of the HMRC spending review settlement we announced that £900 million will be made available over the spending review period to enable HMRC to step up its activity in tackling evasion, avoidance and fraud. We are also considering whether there is a case for developing a general anti avoidance rule (GAAR) for the UK. Alongside this we will continue to use intelligence obtained from the disclosure of tax avoidance schemes regime and other sources to detect avoidance schemes early and we will challenge avoidance robustly where we find it.

Tax Avoidance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs on its proposals for an alternative dispute resolution system; and what his policy is on encouraging the resolution of disputes on tax avoidance out of court.

David Gauke: The vast majority of tax disputes are resolved by agreement between HMRC and the taxpayer, rather than through the courts, as the most cost effective way of ensuring that tax due under the law is established and paid. HMRC is currently exploring whether use of a third party mediator would facilitate such agreements in certain cases. HMRC's approach for bringing tax disputes to a conclusion, whether by agreement with the taxpayer, or through the courts, is set out in its published Litigation and Settlement Strategy. This applies to all cases where criminal prosecution is not being pursued. HMRC's approach under this Strategy is always to seek agreed terms for settlement before going to litigation. In avoidance cases where HMRC has a strong case, it will not settle for less than 100% of the tax due.

Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to establish new units within his Department to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.

David Gauke: The Government confirmed their commitment to reducing tax losses from avoidance and evasion when it announced £900 million would be made available over the spending review period to reduce avoidance, evasion and fraud.
	The spending review proposed a new team to crack down on offshore evasion and more resources for the prevention of tobacco and alcohol fraud. It will also provide resources to tackle high risk areas, including extending the provision of dedicated tax experts to deal with large businesses. Business plans are being prepared for spring publication.

Taxation: Banks

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the Exchequer has received from UK banks through each taxation stream since 1983.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 11 November 2010
	 The specific data requested are not available.
	Corporation tax, PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs, VAT and BPT will account for a large part of total tax paid by banks.
	HMRC produce a breakdown by broad industrial sector for corporation tax and PAYE income tax and class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) and value added tax (VAT). These breakdowns include the financial services sector rather than banks specifically. Receipts from UK banks will make up part of the financial services sector.
	Historical figures for corporation tax receipts paid by several broadly-defined business sectors are regularly updated and published in table 11.1, on the HMRC National Statistics website. These include financial services excluding life assurance receipts. Data are available back to 1997-98 only. The sectors are defined by HMRC's summary trade classifications. The latest update is available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/table11_1.pdf
	PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs received by HMRC from companies in the financial sector in respect of employee and employer liabilities are:
	
		
			  Financial sector receipts  £ billion 
			 1999-2000 12.3 
			 2000-01 15.5 
			 2001-02 15.6 
			 2002-03 15.5 
			 2003-04 17.1 
			 2004-05 18.9 
			 2005-06 21.2 
			 2006-07 24.5 
			 2007-08 263 
			 2008-09 22.9 
			 2009-10 24.5 
		
	
	Data are available back to 1999-2000 only. The sectors are defined by the Office for National Statistics' standard industrial classification 2003.
	Declared VAT is published by trade group in the VAT factsheet, table 2.3
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factvat
	These figures constitute net VAT declared by the financial services sector accrued on non-exempt activity within that sector. Archived factsheets provide figures for earlier years
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factarchive&factcategory=8
	Given that sectors for corporation tax and VAT and PAYE income tax and class 1 NICs are defined differently these sets of figures are not directly comparable.
	HMRC collected £3.45 billion of gross receipts in 2009-10 from the temporary bank payroll tax on bonuses greater than £25,000. This tax included both UK and non-UK owned banks. It is estimated that the net yield was £2.3 billion. In line with the general methodology set out in June Budget policy costings document, the net yield takes account of all direct behavioural effects of a measure on the tax base itself (in this case the tax base for the bank payroll tax) or closely associated receipts (in this case receipts from income tax and national insurance contributions).

Taxation: Business

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 October,  Official Report, column 144W, on BP: tax allowances, for what reasons it is inappropriate for Government to comment on the tax affairs of individual businesses.

David Gauke: holding answer 15 November 2010
	The tax information of individual businesses held by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is subject through legislation to a strict duty of confidentiality and therefore the tax position of individual businesses cannot be disclosed by HMRC to any third parties including Government Ministers.

Taxation: Business

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have had outstanding tax liability of more than £100 million forgiven by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of the liability forgiven by HMRC in each such year.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 November 2010
	The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Summary details of Revenue losses (write-offs and remissions) where in individual cases the amount exceeds £10 million-including those where the individual loss exceeded £100 million-are set out each year in HMRC's published consolidated accounts as is the total figure for all losses in each year. The accounts are laid before the House annually and are also available on the HMRC website :
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

Taxation: Construction

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information HM Revenue and Customs holds on the number of small businesses which have had their C1S6 Gross Status Certificate withdrawn in each of the last three calendar years.

David Gauke: holding answer  21 October 2010
	It is not possible to analyse with any degree of accuracy those subcontractors whose gross payment status has been was withdrawn by reference to the size of their business.

Taxation: Land

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to commission research on the merits of introducing a land value levy.

David Gauke: Land value tax has been the subject of considerable previous research, for example see:
	http://www.lyonsinquiry.org.uk
	There are no plans to commission further research, but the Government keeps all taxes under review.

VAT: Sixth Form Education

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons  (a) sixth form colleges,  (b) schools with sixth forms and  (c) academies are not liable to pay value added tax; and whether he plans to review such tax arrangements to take account of the implementation of the proposed change in the status of sixth form colleges as part of a review of value added tax liabilities.

David Gauke: Education funded by local or central Government are not a business activity, so would not be subject to VAT if it was charged for. However, schools and sixth form colleges, in common with everyone else, are liable to pay VAT on the taxable goods and services they purchase. The Chancellor has no plans to review this.
	Those institutions are currently funded for these costs either through up-front central Government funding or, if they are local authority controlled schools, through a mechanism in section 33 of the VAT Act 1994.

Working Tax Credit

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of individuals in households in which at least one member works for 16 hours per week who  (a) will have their income reduced and  (b) will fall below the equivalised poverty threshold of 60 per cent. of median household income as a result of (i) changing the eligibility rules for working tax credits on hours worked per week to 24 with one partner working at least 16 hours per week, (ii) reducing to 70 per cent. the percentage of childcare costs that parents can claim through the childcare element of working tax credit, (iii) freezing the basic and 30-hour elements of the working tax credit for three years from 2011-12 and (iv) adopting the Consumer Price Index for the indexation of tax credits; and what estimate he has made of the average amount by which the income of affected households will change as a result of these measures.

David Gauke: The Treasury does not hold the specific numbers associated with this request, and to undertake the analysis required to produce these would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold. Given the interaction of tax credit measures with other benefits, it is the overall impact of measures that is important for a household. At the June Budget and the spending review, this Government have taken the unprecedented step of publishing detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of their decisions for the first time. This analysis shows that through providing extra support through the child tax credit, there is no measurable impact from modelled Budget and spending review measures on child poverty over the next two years.
	Furthermore, in chart B.6 (p100) in annex B of the 'Spending Review 2010' document the Government have made efforts to bring together tax, welfare and departmental expenditure limit changes together for the first time. This shows that the top 20% contribute most to the fiscal consolidation as a percentage of net income and benefits-in-kind.

Working Tax Credit

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants were sent letters inviting them to renew their tax credits through the specialist assisted renewals teams; and how many such claimants took up that offer.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs sent letters to around 400,000 households this year, inviting claimants with high value tax credits awards to call to complete the annual declaration and renewal process. Around 341,100 calls were received between 12 April and 31 October by the specialist renewals teams. Included in that total are a proportion of repeat or follow up calls from customers who had cause to call more than once. It is not possible to identify the breakdown of the various categories of calls received by the team.

Working Tax Credit

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit claimants had the disability element of that credit removed from their  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2011-12 award after making contact with the assisted renewals helpline;
	(2)  how many tax credit claimants whose 2009-10 award was higher than £8,500 including a disability element, had the disability element of that credit removed in respect of  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11;
	(3)  how many people lost all entitlement to working tax credit following the removal of their entitlement to the disability element of that credit during the renewals period of 2010.

David Gauke: The specific information requested is not recorded separately.

JUSTICE

Prison Population

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many fewer offenders he estimates will be sent to prison in each year in order to meet his Department's target of reducing the prison population by 3,000 by 2014.

Crispin Blunt: Specific proposals on reforms to sentencing and rehabilitation will be set out in the forthcoming Sentencing and Rehabilitation Green Paper. As a consequence the Government expects that the prison population will be 3,000 lower than the current level by March 2015. Without these proposals we currently expect the prison population will exceed 88,000 in 2015.

Safe Prison Cells

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the additional prison cells provided in the last five years met the criteria for safe cell classification.

Crispin Blunt: About 6,200 safer cells have been provided since 2005.

Prisoner Voting Rights (Costs)

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost to his Department of making arrangements in prisons for prisoners to cast their vote in an election.

Kenneth Clarke: As the Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper) made clear in the House on 2 November 2010,  Official Report, column 771, Ministers are considering how to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, and when decisions have been taken they will be announced to the House in the usual way.

Sentencing Policy

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish his proposals on the future of sentencing policy.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish his proposals on the future of sentencing policy.

Kenneth Clarke: We intend to publish the Green Paper setting out proposals on sentencing and rehabilitation in December.

Prison Service

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to make the Prison Service more efficient.

Crispin Blunt: We will set challenging efficiency targets for prison governors, requiring them to make savings while maintaining safe, legal and decent establishments. We will support them by a number of central initiatives, including reducing central prescription, benchmarking costs between establishments and developing proposals for a competition strategy for all offender services.

Heroin Addiction

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those serving a prison sentence have been treated for heroin addiction.  [Official Report, 21 December 2010, Vol. 520, c. 5MC.]

Nick Herbert: Of those adults remanded or sentenced in 2009-10, 60,067 had clinical interventions for the management of heroin dependence, and 4,933 heroin users entered accredited drug treatment programmes in custody in the same period.

Courts Service: Dorset

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was allocated to the Courts Service in Dorset in 2009-10; and how much funding will be allocated in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Jonathan Djanogly: Courts funding is not allocated along county boundaries. Local budgets have been analysed to provide an estimate of the budget within the county boundaries. This has been done by collating court budgets, and apportioning regional and national budgets which can be attributed directly to local courts.
	The funding allocated to the Court Service in Dorset for 2009-10 was £10.8 million.
	The funding allocated to the Court Service in Dorset for 2010-11 was £10.0 million.
	The total funding for Her Majesty's Court Service nationally has not yet been finalised for 2011-12. It is anticipated that the allocation to court level will be finalised by end February 2011.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible spent on press cuttings services in each of the last 12 months.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice, Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian, Legal Services Commission, Youth Justice Board, Criminal Cases Review Commission, Information Commissioner's Office, Office for Legal Complaints, Land Registry and National Archive spent the following on press cutting services in the last 12 months:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2009  
			 November 17,608.54 
			 December 39,008.03 
			   
			  2010  
			 January 14,590.34 
			 February 23,685.15 
			 March 25,511.74 
			 April 16,005.44 
			 May 17,949.42 
			 June 10,768.27 
			 July 27,371.17 
			 August 11,691.21 
			 September 1,070.09 
			 October 13,805.10 
		
	
	These figures do not include data for the Probation Trusts. These data are not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to investigate the costs incurred, if any, for the Probation Trusts.
	Additionally we can provide the following supporting data:
	The Parole Board; the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; the Judicial Appointments Commission; the Legal Services Board and the Office of the Legal Services Ombudsmen do not use a press cutting service.
	The Criminal Cases Review Commission and Tribunals Service are invoiced annually rather than monthly in February and October respectively.
	The National Archive changed suppliers in July 2010 from Adfero to Precise because the service was of a higher quality, more accurate and offered better value for money.
	The LSC's contract with the press cutting agency Durrants will terminate on 21 November. The LSC's £10,000 licence with the Newspaper Licensing Agency expired on 19 October. Cancelling these contracts will save approximately £26,000 in 2010-11 and £60,000 annually. The LSC will now use the Ministry of Justice's media monitoring. To supplement this, the LSC's press office has, since 30 September 2010, been trialling a subscription to  The Times and  Sunday Times website at a cost of £1.00 for the first month and £8.66 for the second month. A decision on whether to continue this subscription will be made before Christmas 2010.
	October figures for the Land Registry and the Information Commissioner's Office are unavailable as they have not yet received invoices for that month.
	The Office for Legal Complaints has only used a press cutting service the last six weeks. The year long subscription they paid for in September has been pro rated to give the proportion of the cost that can be attributed to the last 12 months.

Secure Training Centres: Restraint Techniques

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many minor injuries were sustained during the use of restraint procedures on  (a) boys and  (b) girls in each secure training centre in each month since April 2008.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of minor injuries sustained during the use of restraint procedures in each month in 2008-09 in secure training centres (STCs). Data for injuries are not available by gender. It is a contractual requirement for any young person within a STC who has been restrained to be visited by a registered nurse within 30 minutes following the use of restraint.
	
		
			  Minor injuries 
			   2008  2009 
			   Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar 
			 Hassockfield - 2 - - 2 3 3 - - - 4 3 
			 Medway 5 2 3 1 1 3 4 4 3 1 4 7 
			 Oakhill - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Rainsbrook 1 1 - - - 2 - 1 1 1 1 3 
			  Notes: 1. The 2009-10 figures will be available once the 2009-10 Youth Justice Board annual workload data are released. Hence only figures for 2008-09 are given. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. 
		
	
	I have requested that the disparity in the figures provided above should be investigated and I will write in due course with any findings.

Sentencing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to make changes to sentencing guidelines to reduce the number of adults sent to prison; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The responsibility for issuing sentencing guidelines rests not with the Government but with the independent Sentencing Council. The Government submit their views on draft guidelines but do not have any say in their final content.
	We are conducting an assessment of sentencing policy and will shortly publish a consultation paper with proposals for reform.

Sentencing: Young Offenders

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to make changes to sentencing guidelines to reduce the number of young offenders sent to prison; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Sentencing guidelines are produced for the judiciary by the independent Sentencing Council. On 20 November 2009 the Sentencing Guidelines Council, predecessor to the Sentencing Council, published a sentencing guideline specifically for the sentencing of under-18s for the first time. This guideline states that custodial sentences should only be imposed as a measure of last resort. As this guideline is new there are no immediate plans to revise it, but the guideline will be subject to review if legislation is changed.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Human Resources

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority will establish a human resources department to deal with staff of hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has no plans to establish a human resources department for MPs' staff.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the policy of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is on responsibility for the reimbursement of travel expenses of candidates who have attended interviews for jobs with hon. Members.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew McDonald:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking about IPSA's policy on reimbursement of travel expenses for interview candidates (26016).
	Travel expenses for interview candidates are not a reimbursable expense under the MPs' Expenses Scheme.
	Support for travel expenses may be available from Job Centre Plus for certain candidates.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what comparators the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority took into account in determining its policy on payment for reimbursement of travel expenses for persons travelling to job interviews with hon. Members.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew McDonald:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's policy on reimbursement of travel expenses for interview candidates (26071).
	Reimbursement for travel expenses for interview candidates, while still prevalent in some industries, is no longer standard practice in either the public or private sectors.

Members: Allowances

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the policy of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is on the reimbursement of travel expenses of those called for interviews for jobs with the Authority.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	 Letter from Andrew McDonald:
	As Interim Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking about IPSA's policy on reimbursement of travel expenses for interview candidates (26072).
	IPSA does not pay travel expenses for candidates attending interviews for its own vacancies.